Question
I have noticed my bee balm have (looks like a fungus)or mildew on the bottom leaves.I do not have a clue on what the problem may be.HELP   Thanks in advance

Answer
Dear Carroll, You may well have a powdery mildew on your bee balm, because these plants are very susceptible to mildew.  For the most part, you should be able to correct the problem without too much trouble.  Be sure to water plants in the morning only and try not to wet the foliage.  On the foliage that is damaged, remove the bad leaves and discard.  Do not mulch with these.  Clean up the the ground under the the plants.  Be sure that the plants are able to get plenty of sunlight and the stems should have some room between them.  This will greatly reduce the amount of mildew and will probably eliminate it.  Also, be sure to keep deadheading the spent blooms to prevent the plant from ending its blooming season and causing some stem dieback.  If this doesn't eliminate the mildew, or if it is very widespread, you may want to spray with a fungicide.  Spray on a cloudy day to prevent disturbing the bees and try not to spray the flowers.  If on the other hand you have a frothy substance on the leaves, then you may have spittlebugs, which are mainly a nuisance and can be fairly well controlled by a forceful stream of water.  For some reason, they really like plants like bee balm.  I hope this information helps, and write back if you have more questions.  Good luck, Melissa