PlantFiles: Oswego Tea, Bee Balm, Beebalm, Bergamot, Firecracker Plant
Monarda didyma 'Gardenview Scarlet'

Love this plant. It does spread quickly. The hummingbirds adore this plant and are very territorial. There is a problem with mold in our hot humid summers but if cut back to the ground after blooming it will bloom again and the new growth has never been effected. We spend alot of evenings watching the hummingbirds in the beebalm.

I planted this several years ago in an area I wanted to naturalize. Everything got choked out except the bee balm which bloomed every year! This year I will transplant it to an area where I can enjoy it more. Nothing lifts your spirits more than seeing that red crown bloom! It is also used medicinally.

Ive had this plant for over five years now. I moved it twice before finding the perfect spot. Beautiful scarlet flowers that are a hummingbird magnet. Mine doesnt spread too much. It had a bad problem with mildew the first few years, but is now quite healthy. I found that it helps to keep the leaves as dry as posible, by watering only the roots, and to pluck off any sickly leaves at the first sign of mildew.

This spreads nicely... I have it in a corner of the garden just for the hummingbirds, so the more flowers the longer the hummers visit!

The japanese beetles attacked the plants and flowers last year, hopefully with my bag a bug, I can keep them away this year.

I planted some of this last year. It does spread fairly quickly and contrary to the advertisement does get powdery mildew here in Kentucky (though not as bad as the lilacs I have).
With both of these issues I still had a hard time rating this one. It definately has a place in my garden, the flowers are striking and the bees love it.

Here in Minnesota, I find that it is not invasive, although you do need to keep a real handle on it and remove any stray runners that you see and remove any stalks that fall to the ground for it will root and spread any way that it can! I've used it to make jelly, dried the flowers for arrangements and just plain enjoyed it. It always draws hummingbirds, butterflies and bees. Give it enough moisture and an area where the air can move around it and mildew won't be a problem.

Very very very invasive!!
I would rate it "positive" except that you have to divide it all summer long. Maybe I should replace my grass with this kind of bee balm!!
A big clump of red bee balm is a wonder to behold. It is so red you can see it from blocks away.
I did not have much success with purple bee balm. Red is the way to go.
Other people have trouble with mildew; I have found that, if you keep spaces in between the flowers, you decrease the chances for mildew.
My bee balm grows about 5 feet tall but does not need staking. I divide it every year and give it to everyone I know. You can divide it any old way. You cannot kill it.

The blossoms do attract butterflies, bees, and humming birds, but the leaves get a general, dusty mold on them that make the plants unattractive.

Marketed as being resistant to mildew. The flower color is very good -- bright red.