Monarda - Jacob Cline

[Susan W]

In part from your comments on Monarda aka Bee balm Jacob Cline and its mildew resistance, checked it out (isn't google great?!) Looks to be a natural cultivar, but doesn't set seed, or least viable seeds. So, one starts with a plant. Duh! Does it spread and thus could be divided later? Is it a short lived perennial, but with spreading carries on? Looking for comments and experience with this plant.

Getting slightly distracted here as there is some house building going on. M/M cardinal are setting up housekeeping in the camellia outside my window. She's doing the heavy lifting, bringing pieces of dried grass, leaves etc and working the nest while he's out. He stops by to check on her. What a guy!!

[GardeningCook]

I can't comment on others' experience with Jacob Cline, but I've always found it very susceptible to Powdery Mildew here in Virginia. It won't kill it, but does make it rather unsightly. Best to plant it in an area & keep it trimmed to best give it a lot of air circulation.

[shadylane]

Aaaah!! who can only have one!! Also alias to horsemint and Oswego tea. Bee balm (not Jacob Cline per say) is naturally remarkably resistant to disease and insect attack and prefers moist soil. We have had a record breaking rain measurements and Bee balm, Monarda is exploding with blooms. And yes, I must admit, and agree with GardeningCook, there is little leave discoloration on a few younger plants but they are doing great as well.
Plants spread quickly and should be divided about every three years, discard the woody center when doing so. Also propagation by seed easily.

[applestar]

There was another thread about Jacob Cline
Subject: Jacob Cline Beebalm

I may combine the two threads.

My experience has been that Jacob Cline is MUCH LESS SUSCEPTIBLE to powdery mildew compared to Gardenview Scarlet. -- and the COLOR oooh I couldn't get the camera to capture the correct shade of red... It's richer, darker... More garnet

[Susan W]

Oops, silly me, and Thank You Apple for connecting the 2 threads.

Anyway, back to the monarda. With our rain (50+) and warm muggy nights, powdery mildew can be major. It can eat up the monarda starts to the point they are tossed. Ugh! I had a brief moment of hope for Jacob Cline, but perhaps not so much now. Of course if I see one at the garden center.....you know how that goes! I have some of the native lavender and red, started from seed, now spreading. The 3 weeks of bloom are awesome, but perhaps not worth the nasty ugliness of the rest of the year.

[Susan W]

So, I had a couple of errands, stopped at the garden center, and you know how that goes....Sure enough, a Jacob Cline in qt pot, full and pretty. It was $4 at the check out, so I went back to the shelf and got the other 2 remaining. Now to find a good area to put the 3.

[hlee]

I love it. It has been cool and damp here and they have just started to bloom. I don't see any mildew yet and agree some of the other varieties seem more susceptible than Jacob Cline.
I'm glad you got some!

[Susan W]

Now time for True Confessions.... the 3 pots of Jacob Cline in 1 qt pots on the 'staging' table. Light shade/dappled and watered. Of course I thought I would fix In Ground space. Realized a few days ago they just needed to go into a large container. (for rest of season and winter). Being so root bound, a couple had pushed out some blooms. Most awesome red!

Forward to now. Smarty Pants here figured 3 1 qt pots can fit in a large and deep 16" container. Got one in place, replace top few inches mix, including worms and more. The plant was totally root bound. Oh my! Tag implied this is a 3-4' plant, needs 24". Re-group. Long story short is I now have 3 large containers, each with one plant, in different locations.

Best case scenario is all will thrive and fill their respective containers for next season. Then we'll get ...The rest of the story...

[GardeningCook]

They should be just fine. I frequently suffer from "My Eyes Are Bigger Than My Garden" syndrome - especially towards the end of the season when nurseries start putting perennials on sale. They often end up in containers until the following season. Have only lost a couple over the years.

[Susan W]

A few days later, update, FWIW. 3 plants, 3 large 16" containers, different locations, all partial shade. The plants are doing well, keeping green leaves, and a few stems trying to bloom. The roots haven't had time to spread and go deep, so have to remember to water near daily, especially as we have had some stupid hot (upper 90's) weather and no rain. Given the days of abuse staying in the small pots, the stems are a bit sprawly, but then when one plants perennials now is for the next season.