I planted a Monarda "Jacob Cline" last fall. (Actually I planted two, but the dog stomped one into oblivion.)

It was slow to come back after the winter... now it seems ok, except the leaves are edged in white, and that doesn't seem to be normal for this cultivar. What should I do for it?

By the way, in this picture you will see that I've topdressed with compost... just did that a couple hours ago.

Looks like a little touch of frost burn, maybe? Did the weather get cold again after the plant popped up? Even one night of frost could do that sort of damage to tender new leaves.

Also the unscorched leaves look like chlorosis might be starting, too. The compost will help with that but very slowly. More of a long-term fix, and you'll need to keep adding it, maybe a shovel or two each month until you've balanced the pH of the soil.

For a quicker fix, I'd go for a half-strength liquid fert with some iron in the trace minerals. Do that maybe every second week until you see normal (uniform darker green) leaves.

Yes, we had an almost-frost after it came up.

I'll try the fertilizer!

In the interests of using what I already have, would it work to combine 4-4-4 organic fertilizer and greensand?

Read the analysis on the package of your 4-4-4 fert, Terri. As long as it has iron in it, that will help. Chelated iron is better. But if it is granular fertilizer rather than something you would dissolve in a watering can it will take a lot longer to know if it's working. The minerals in greensand will help but it's mostly potassium and trace minerals although it does have some iron and silica. Again it will be very slow-release so it may take to the end of the summer for you to see results.

It's commendable to use organic products, but when you are looking for fast fix results, maybe not too practical. The organic fertilizers have all the same chemicals that the purified chemical ferts have, but in lesser concentration, and mixed in with a whole lot of stuff - basically impurities - that is fine for general long term plant health but not necessarily targeted for a specific result.

Okay, thanks. No, the 4-4-4 doesn't list iron.