Wild Bergamot

Bergamot grows 2-4 feet high and wide with 20-50 lavender-pink flowers sprout from each flower head to create a groovy pincushion of spiky, wavy petals resting in a decorative whorl of bracts.    As a member of the mint family and a cousin to peppermint and lavender, Bergamot has a square stem and deep green leaves that smell of mint.  Also known as “bee balm” for its tendency to be swathed in bees, the name “wild bergamot” refers to the plant’s citrus-mint aroma that is similar to that of bergamot oranges.  Except for the roots, the entire plant is edible.  

Rich in oils, bergamot leaves have often been used in cosmetics and to flavour teas. Indeed, a tea was made from the plant by the North American Oswego tribe in the 18th century, after which it became known as Oswego tea. However it is not the favouring used in Earl Grey tea which, while it contains the oil of bergamot, comes from the similarly smelling bergamot orange, Citrus bergamia.

Soil type: pH range of 6-8 is generally considered to be slightly acidic to slightly alkaline

Soil moisture:  Moderate to dry

Sun exposure: Full sun

Height: 2-4 feet high and wide

Bloom Color: lavender-pink

Bloom Time: midsummer-to-late summer

Benefits: Fistulosa means “hollow,” referring to the flowers’ tubular shape that is favored by long-tongued bees, butterflies, moths, and hummingbirds.  The plant’s long bloom period provides a food source for pollinators, including three specialist bees. Researchers recently observed sand wasps using monarda extensively for nectar. These wasps are predators of the brown stinkbug, a major pest of orchards and vegetable crops. Wild bergamot is also a valuable source of nectar for monarchs.

(Sources: mortonarb.com / leavesforwildlife.com /vplant.org / inaturalist.org, gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org)