Mondarda is also known as beebalm and horsemint are readers may know this plant by that name. It is great for attracting hummingbirds if it flowers. The leaves are very aromatic and have a legend in folk medicine. However, Jacob Cline monarda is a superior form of monarda in tests elsewhere in the country. Jacob Cline has done well as far south as Houston and southern Louisiana and Mississippi and has few pests.

Monarda is typically known as an "eastern" US plant but should do well here in soil that has been well prepared and gets plenty of water. It is in the mint family and most plants in the mint family like water. It is hard to know by discussion whether the loss of flowers is because of too much vegetative growth or if there is a pest involved. All I can do is run down the list of possibilities and see what fits. First is maturity. If the plant is not mature it will tend to set foliage until it gets to a stage in maturity where it can bear flowers which would be early summer. But your plant at five feet tall (which is tall for Jacob Cline) sounds mature enough in size. Next is fertility.

If the planting hole was over fertilized, or if there is a lot of nutrients available to it then the plant will tend to get large, set lots of leaves and delay blooming. Again it’s a maturity thing. Lots of plant nutrients can delay maturity and make a monster plant with all foliage. The plant will do well with organic mulch, not rock mulch. Next is shade. If the plant does not get enough sunlight it may be possible to get few if any flowers. Lastly are pests.

There is a pest on Monarda or bee balm that is similar to the cabbage worms. These are white or greenish white which feed on the flowers and can be controlled with Bt sprays.

By Robert Morris