On Thu, 15 Jul 2004 23:53:51 GMT, Tom Randy
wrote:
===On Thu, 15 Jul 2004 14:00:13 +0000, HA HA Budys Here wrote:
===
=== Last spring I planted 2 small 1-gallon samples of Monarda didyma (Bee Balm) in
=== a partly sunny area which was behind a retaining wall. The backfill behind the
=== wall was mostly 4 cu. yds. of homemade compost I needed to relocate. This year
=== the plants look more like large shrubs and have completely overgrown the
=== surrounding vegitation.
===
=== At this point their flower pedals have mostly dropped. Would shaving these down
=== to about 50% of their current 4' height promote re-growth and re-bloom this
=== year?
===
===
===Yup!
===
===
===If not, will it harm next year's growth?
===
===Nope! I LOVE Bee balm!
===
===
===Tom
Well I sure wish my Bee Balm would get back to at least 1/2 of what it
was prior to h aving a large oak tree uproot and fall on my garden
area. The tree did not directly cruch or harm the bee balm to the
extnt that it broke it, and it was only on the bee balm no more than 2
or 3 hours tops, as the tree no sooner fell and the wife and I were on
it with chainsaws and moving limbs off the flower garden right away.
Other than my one crepe myrtle nothing appeared to be broken, but
evidently the plants all got shocked, as just abnout over night both
my bee balms died back to just about nothing, as well as my hydrangia
and ferns. Actually the only thing showing any real life and growth is
the busted off crepe myrtle. I cut the broken trunk flush with the
ground, and in three weeks time frame since it got broken, it is now
pushing out 11 beautiful stems approx 2 to 2 1/2 foot tall already and
growing every day. Bee Balm just sets there less than 3 inches tall.
Fern never did come back, and the hydrangia are now just starting to
put out new leaves.
Just what could that fallen oak tree have done to these plants. It
provided them no nutrients or shade, and it was just the top of the
oak that hit this garden area, so there really was no soil compaction
of any kind. Watering frequency has not changed.
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