Bergamot, Wild

Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) features bright lavender blooms with a spicy fragrance that attracts bees and butterflies to your garden. The flowers also make great cut flowers. Its aromatic leaves complement meats and can be used to make a refreshing herbal tea. This is a biennial plant.

🌱 Seasonal Growing Guide

SPRING:

• Sow in trays or individual pots, covering seeds with perlite.
• Germination takes 1-2 weeks.
• Once seedlings are large enough, harden off and transplant them 20-25cm apart in a sunny or part-shaded location.

SUMMER:

• Harvest leaves for drying or adding to salads before the plant flowers.
• Leaves can also be used to make a refreshing herbal tea.

LATE SUMMER / AUTUMN:

• Cut flowers when they reach their peak bloom.
• Petals can be scattered on salads for a colorful, aromatic touch.

ENJOY

Although this is biennial plant you will get the best flavours from the first year’s young growth so grow as an annual.  Use leaves with meat dishes or you can make a tea from them.  The flowers last well in a vase.

WILDLIFE FRIENDLY

• A magnet for long-tongued bees like garden bumblebees (Bombus hortorum) and common carder bees (Bombus pascuorum), thanks to the deep, tubular flowers.
• Hoverflies and marmalade flies (Episyrphus balteatus) often stop by, helping with aphid control nearby.
• Small tortoiseshell and red admiral butterflies are regular summer visitors when the plant is in full bloom.
• If left to seed, the seedheads can provide late food and shelter for overwintering insects.