Bee Balm Monarda "Oudolf's Charm"

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Adelheidis Windermere, FL Jul 29, 2009

I have never tried to grow this type of flower before. Unfortunately, I think that it has died. I will try again with another one but for the life of me I do not know what went wrong! The plant came bare root so that might be it. I live in Florida and it is very hot and humid right now. I transferred the plant to organic gardening soil in a clay pot ( 4") lightly breaking the roots apart. I added water to help with rooting and placed it where it would get morning sun but on the lanai (it is enclosed but not air-conditioned). I brought it in tonight to try and prune it back and get new growth but it is too late.

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pirl (Arlene) Southold, NY(Zone 7a) Jul 29, 2009

Monarda here need very good air circulation but since they tend to spread I have it against the side of the garage and it always gets powdery mildew and I always have to cut it back to stubs. Perhaps that's the same problem with your plant.

Are you sure it's dead and just hasn't gone dormant? Did the stems turn to mush?

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lrwells50 (Lynn) Paris, TX(Zone 7b) Jul 29, 2009

Mine always needed very well-draining soil, and not too much water. Here's my Jacob Kline from earlier this summer

Thumbnail by lrwells50
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ecrane3 Dublin, CA(Zone 9a) Jul 29, 2009

Being shipped bare root in the summertime is pretty stressful for plants--next time I would keep the plant somewhere cooler and out of any direct sun for a little while to let it get recovered from that stress, then work on gradually putting it in more sun/heat. Even if it wasn't bare root, shipping in the summer all on its own can be stressful, and if the nursery or person you got it from is in a cooler climate than you are, then not being used to your temperatures wouldn't have helped any either.

I also wouldn't give up on the one you have yet--try keeping it somewhere out of direct sun for a while and see if it grows back. Plants that are under a lot of stress can often look dead, but once you give them a little time to recover they may put out new leaves so I wouldn't pitch it yet. Just keep in mind that monarda doesn't need a ton of water to begin with, and a monarda without any leaves on it is not going to go through water very fast at all, so be really careful that you don't overwater it.

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