Monarda didyma ‘Jacob Cline’ & ‘Marshall’s Delight’ / Bee Balm

The planting at right is Monarda ‘Jacob Cline’, Verbena bonariensis, and Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’.  I only wish the Crocosmia was blooming.  This would be paradise in High Summer for me.

I almost never see Bee Balm (Monarda) of any kind in the New River Valley, and I wonder why.  Perhaps, because of our 200’+ elevation, there’s not enough accumulated heat for Monardas to do their best.  At least half of the few I see have some powdery mildew.

But, hope abounds in my heart.  There’s a new batch of Bee Balms coming out that are more resistant to disease, so they claim.  I hope so.  Although the legginess of Bee Balms is a bit unsightly, I believe this should be a welcoming challenge from a gardener who’s up to the task.  I’m attempting to front it with Blue Mist Shrub (Caryopteris x clandonensis) and St. Wort ‘Ignite Scarlet Red’.  Guess I better write about them also.

A t right is M. ‘Marshall’s Delight’.  It’s a very clear coral pink, without that trace of mauve that some folks do not want in their gardens.  It gets 2′-3′ high and “appears” to reamin more fully clothed down to the base.  Time will tell, as the claim that both are much more resistant to powdery mildew.  It’s companion, in front, is Liatris spicata, a common native associate in gardens.