PlantFiles: Oswego Tea, Beebalm, Bee Balm, Bergamot, Firecracker Plant
Monarda didyma 'Marshall's Delight'

I grew these [‘Marshall's Delight’] by WS method the winter of `07
They bloomed second year, [summer of '08] and they are taller than i had anticipated, so time to move them.

I have yet to find any seeds on them though.

They are very pretty when in bloom, but sort of ratty looking afterward. I've cut half of them back ... and I have found they are more drought tolerant than stated. I have them where i can't water, so they only get what 'mom nature' gives them.

Last summer I purchased a pot of 'Marshall's Delight' at the local nursery. It was scraggly and half dead and probably a week away from the compost heap. Since it was clearance priced, I decided to try to rescue it. It looked quite ratty and sad in the garden so I pruned it back to about 6 inches, kept it watered, and left it alone.

This spring those three twiggy stems have put out dozens of babies via runners. I'm going to have to thin them out to prevent powdery mildew. Not only did the plant survive, but it's spreading quite happily. I'm looking forward to plenty of monarda in my garden this summer.

So far, two green thumbs up for this sturdy and prolific little fellow. I would've never in a million years thought it would survive.

It will be one full season this spring coming that this plant has been in the ground and what a disappointment. I have about a dozen of these and all of them had powdery mildew. They also do not like to be pruned, when I deadheaded the head of the only bloom, the whole stem of the plant died. I see now that if I prune it I will have to take the stem down to the crown because it will just die if I don't. The plant does smell really great though and is really spreading well. I will give it one full season, if it doesn't perform off to the compost pile it goes.......

planted Marshalls delight this spring and it is doing wonderfully the bees and butterflies love this plant not problems with mildew so far

I've had great success with this plant in my midwest garden. No powdery mildew and flowers that the bees absolutely love. The flowers are a clear bright pink that bloom from June to mid-July and I usually get a smaller, secondary rebloom.

Zone 3 friends report that this plant has done wonders in thier gardens. I will purchase my first Marshall's Delight this year. I have however tried Blue Stockings and I'm very disappointed due to it being a great home for mildew. I hope Marshall's Delight pulls me out of the disappointment of Blue Stockings and makes my flying critters happy this summer.

I planted Marshall's Delight last year some time. It was over 12" tall at the time but lost it's height with the change of season. What it looks like now is a low growing very invasive plant. I'm curious to know if this is really Bee Balm and not an intruder and that it will grow taller as the season grows. It has done a great job spreading underneath and I'll wait to see if it blooms and has the right charachteristics of Bee Balm so I'm really just curious about it.

(My garden's in the Mid-Atlantic) Bright fuschia/magenta flowers that stand above fuzzy, greysih/green foliage. Grows about two feet tall. Very tolerant of a variety of conditions. Very easy to grow. Its least favorite thing is probably drought. Slightly invasive, don't plant next to shy perennials. No mildew on mine ever. No bugs or diseases and pests. Supposed to have a "Bergamot" smell and flavor, but I've noticed very little. Bees and butterflies LOVE it. Great garden plant!

'Marshall's Delight' is a cheery, bright, pink cultivar reported to be mildew resistant. I've had it several years in my garden and it's done wonderfully. It makes a large clump and the hummingbirds love it. I divide it every few years to keep it from invading its neighbors and to keep the clump vigorous. I've managed to collect a few seeds from this cultivar but I wouldn't count on it coming true from seeds. I suspect a paler pink bee balm that popped up in my garden is a self-sown seedling from it.