my large patches of beebalm are looking done , do you cut them down , or just deadhead?

I generally leave them because the stems are hollow. But I find it hard not to because it can look really ratty.

Hi gardengus,

Some people leave the heads for winter display. In my experience though they are more prone to getting mildew. I don't think you can do them any harm cutting them to the ground, I may even do it myself this year. As you know, they are herbaceous perennials, so they die back to the ground anyway.

The theory is that the goodness goes into the roots if the leaves are left to die back naturally, but there is no corm, bulb or tuber with beebalm, so I don't know if that is relevant to this plant.

I would cut it back, don't think there is much risk.

Peter

I cut mine down just as soon as I can't stand it anymore. It always comes back each year thicker and more beautiful than the year before. I'd had misgivings at first, too, due to the hollow stems, but it doesn't seem to bother them at all. I, too, think that keeping the mildew from attacking spent plants by removing the stalk is more beneficial than anything else.

Thanks all
I think I will cut it down , I am getting tired of the brown and it is starting to mildew.

Hey, I'm going to cut mine down too then! Thanks

After flowering I cut them down to about a foot tall or so tall to neaten things up a bit, then I cut them to the ground in Fall..

When they look ugly and the sight of them offends my eyes I cut them to the ground.

Either way works. I've tried both ways, to the same effect. After all, in a good season I can cut and harvest my regular mints maybe 4 times, and it doesn't hurt them a bit either. Not much does.

This is interesting! I quit growing bee balm because of mildew. I could just try cutting it back if it gets icky and it will come back next year? Great news!

Yes, they will return.

Maybe I will give them another chance!

Mine have mildew now, so I am cutting them down to about three inches.

I have never been able to grow bee balm because of the mildew
this year I bought a pot of just a mildew resistant one at Lowe's and
I have had no mildew at all..it is gorgeous and we had 104 heat index
a few days and high humidity all the time.average temps of upper 90's
in summer...

I watered mine more often this year and also put mulch cypress around it
but not touching the green of the plants..

I am just amazed..I do not know what next growing season will bring with this
bee balm..also it got half day of sun..morning sun is all..

Sheri/sheridragonfly

I have also struggled with mildew on beebalm. This year I replaced 'Jacob's Cline' with 'Raspberry Wine' and so far no mildew. I just cleaned it out for winter and have left the seed heads standing. It is mostly done, but still being visited by bees, and doesn't have that rag-tag frosted gray look my prior plants always had. What variety do you have?

Raspberry Wine gets mildew. If you don't have any spores in your soil, then you won't get mildew. Once you get it though, figure on getting it every year unless the mildew prone plants are removed. It's just cosmetic for most plants but some plants it can drastically reduce flowering.

I do not know the variety of my bee balm..
I wish I did..still no mildew on it and it is October
still green and growing well..
Mine is a wine color when it blooms yet pinkish.
Does this look like any particular variety?
thanks
sheri

One thing I've noticed about powdery mildew is that as soon as we hit any sort of drought, it starts it's onslaught. It's almost as if it waits until the plant is a little stressed and then BAM, it's on.

I also have a coreopsis (Zagreb) that gets PM every year after flowering. I think this is due to it being in too much shade but the PM doesn't do anything other than make it look ugly. I cut most of it down a few weeks ago as an experiment. I think it will come back fine though.

Our Zagreb is in full sun and never gets PM but the monarda has been cut down already. It's just so ugly when it's attacked.

Cinda, I cut everything down including BB in the fall and take to our local compost site. I cut the BB flower heads off after blooming and everything else is removed in the fall.