Cutting bee balm back..

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JanetS Braselton, GA(Zone 7b) Jun 29, 2006

Does anyone know if you can cut bee balm back to encourage new blooms? My plants are quite tall and the rain has beat them to death...it is the red Jacob Cline and it is beautiful when blooming. They are just about spent now and I wanted to try and get more bloom time. Also my shasta daisies are pitiful from the rain as well....andy suggestions?
Janet

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Horseshoe Efland, NC(Zone 7a) Jul 01, 2006

Jacon Cline is a good gone, Janet. (Very mildew/mold resistant!)

Although I've never trimmed them back I think you should feel perfectly comfortable doing so. They are very hardy and prolific. (At some point you'll be wishing you didn't have them everywhere.)

Can't help you much w/the Shastas....they pretty much operate on their own here. Hopefully the rains will subside and they'll regroup. (Good root drainage is a plus though!)

Shoe.

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gardenwife Newark, OH(Zone 5b) Jul 01, 2006

Sure, cutting them back will encourage them to grow back more compactly and to rebloom. Also, pinching selected stems back in the spring and early summer as they first grow will give you staggered blooms; as the unpinched stems flower and fade, the pinched stems' blooms will be coming on.

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JanetS Braselton, GA(Zone 7b) Jul 01, 2006

Thanks, for the info everyone. I decided to go ahead and cut them back some, the daisies I cut almost to the ground, the bee balm I cut back to a strong two leaf section. Everything here seemed to bloom early this year and it has been hard to keep everything looking neat with the unusual rain patterns. A lot of my daylilies just looked awful this year, not very pretty blooms on several varieties. I am not sure what happened, but all I could guess was the weird weather. I have had the Jacob Cline for several years and it is one of my favorite. The purple on I have doesn't have flower heads that are as large, nor does the pink one. The purple seems to invade worse as well. I have pulled it out for years! Have a great weekend and thanks again!
Janet

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