Wild Bergamot, Monarda fistulosa

Scientific Name: Monarda fistulosa

Why grow Wild Bergamot?

This native perennial is excellent for pollinators & has a long history of culinary & medicinal use. It is always a good idea to check with multiple credible sources before ingesting any new plants.

Wild Bergamot is a type of Bee Balm & attracts many pollinators, especially bees. The plant is fairly tall with pale purple flowers that bloom throughout summer. Burgundy leaves & spherical flower heads provide fall & winter interest.

Wild Bergamot was used by Native Americans for cough & congestion. Today it is often enjoyed as a tea or substitute herb for oregano. As much as I love my oregano plants, St. Louis isn't their favorite place to grow. Types of oregano are key ingredients in a lot of Mexican & Italian dishes. Once established, Wild Bergamot provides an abundance of leaves for all sorts of use.

Germination

Seeds need light to germinate & should be scattered on top of the soil. Seeds require no special pre-treatment, unlike the seeds of many native plants. Sow in a warm & sunny spot. Seeds should germinate within a week. You can direct sow this plant, however its tiny seedling size may be a challenge to see.

Culture

Wild Bergamot comes from the native prairies & open woodlands of North America. It prefers full sun, but tolerates partial sun or partial shade. It is not a heavy drinker and prefers dry to average moisture. Poor soils are fine. Growth can be slow the first year as the plant seeks to establish itself. In it's 2nd year, Wild Bergamot reaches 2-4' tall & blooms all summer. It likes to forms clumps. Companion plant choices matter, because it can flop over. Tall & medium companion plants can help keep it standing, like other native plants do naturally in prairies. Wild Bergamot also desires good airflow, so choose companions that won't get too bulky or oppressive. Humidity & lack of airflow can increase it's susceptibility to powdery mildew. I have noticed some interesting diversity among these plants including bloom time & foliage color. Leaves & stems can have reds or purples in them, sometimes with quite striking burgundy fall foliage. 

Harvest

Leaves should be harvested in the first half of the growing season. That is because by late summer, powdery mildew can be quite common. Dried leaves have been used for tea. Fresh or dried leaves have been used to give an oregano flavor to food.

Seeds: after blooming, flower heads turn into sphere made of small tubes. Seeds hide in the bottom of these tubes & can be saved to plant latter. Plants will easily self seed & spread. If you wan't to limit it's spread, remove flower heads after blooming. 

History

Wild Bergamot is a part of the huge mint family, along with many other herbs. Plants in the Monarda genus are known as bee balms. This comes from their use by Native Americans as antiseptics. If you were stung by...say a bee, a balm made from a Monarda plant might have been applied. 

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