Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
Lavender-pink flower heads that draw an extraordinary range of bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Tougher and more drought-tolerant than bee balm.
Typically 1 pint–1 gal · $9–$30 · final price at pickup
- Thu, Sep 248 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Sep 258 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Sep 268 AM – 2 PM
The most drought-tolerant and butterfly-rich bee balm, essential for hot, sunny gardens where the moist-soil species would struggle.
Wild Bergamot is the prairie version of Bee Balm: drier, tougher, and if anything even more beloved by pollinators. The lavender-pink flower heads are ragged and wild-looking in the best way, drawing an extraordinary range of bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds through the heat of summer. Break a leaf and the oregano-like fragrance is immediate and pronounced. This is one of the classic aromatic natives. It thrives in full sun and dry to average soils, making it more versatile than Monarda didyma for gardens without consistent moisture. The mounding habit fills in a meadow or border mid-section well, and the dried seed heads provide winter interest and food for small birds. Spreads moderately by rhizomes, manageable in most garden settings with annual division every two to three years.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown bergamot propagated on-site at Hill House from regional genetics. Includes a one-page care card. We make every effort to supply plants as listed; occasionally we substitute a similar species of equal value.
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Dry
- Mature size
- 2–4 ft · 18–36 in wide
- Bloom time
- July–August
- USDA zones
- 3–9
- Family
- Lamiaceae
- Native range
- North America. open woods, prairies, roadsides, and woodland edges from Quebec to British Columbia south to Georgia and Arizona
Care notes for bergamot.
Plant in full sun in dry to average, well-drained soil. Wild Bergamot is more drought tolerant than Monarda didyma and prefers not to sit in wet clay. Divide every two to three years in spring to maintain vigor and control spread. Good air circulation reduces powdery mildew risk in humid climates. Leave dried seed heads through winter for songbirds. Cut back in early spring before new growth emerges.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside bergamot.
Or skip the guesswork.
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