HERBALIST’S GARDEN – EDIBLE BERGAMOT OR BEE BALM IS A MUST HAVE PLANT FOR THE HERB AND COTTAGE GARDEN! BEES LOVE IT AND BUTTERFLIES TOO! CITRUS SCENTED, IT HELPS WITH A MYRIAD OF COMPLAINTS FROM ANXIETY AND INSOMNIA TO COLD AND FLU.

Lately, more and more people have begun to understand just how limited – in both variety and nutritional value – our ‘modern’ diets have become.

This realization has sparked a new and widespread interest in the culinary and therapeutic uses of herbs, those plants which – although not well-known today – were, just one short generation ago, honoured ‘guests’ on the dinner tables and in the medicine chests of our grandparents’ homes.

Monarda fistulosa, the wild bergamot or bee balm, is a wildflower in the mint family widespread and abundant as a native plant in much of North America.

This plant, with showy summer-blooming pink to lavender flowers, is often used as a honey plant, medicinal plant, and garden ornamental.

The species is quite variable, and several subspecies or varieties have been recognized within it.
Even If the plant had nothing but its beauty to recommend it, wild bergamot would still be worth growing. The narrow tubular flowers, which bloom from July through September, range from maroon to magenta to lilac in colour and resemble a somewhat dishevelled chrysanthemum atop a two-foot high, erect stalk.

Since the herb is a member of the mint family, it has its relatives’ square, hollow stem, shallow, dense root system and paired leaves, which are tinged with reddish-purple on their “under” surfaces. The pretty plant – though not choosy as to where it grows – does prefer “wet feet” and partial shade.

Uses of Wild Bergamot

Its leaves are used to make tea which is then flavoured with honey, and effective to treat cold and flu symptoms.

Brew the leaves in boiling water for a few minutes to make a refreshing beverage.
The flowers of this plant are showy and are often used with other flowers in bouquets.
Wild bergamot or bee balm is categorized as a honey plant, which means that several species of bees visit the plant for collecting nectar and pollen to produce honey (hence the name bee balm). Hummingbirds and butterflies also collect nectar from the plant. As a reason these plants are very popular in gardens, since they attract bees and different types of birds.
Being endemic to eastern United States and most of Canada, it is the mainstay in ornamental gardens, as it is easy to grow and also has beautiful lavender flowers.

Wild bergamot leaves possess insect repelling properties.

Thymol, an antiseptic occurring naturally in it and possessing a pleasant odour, is the primary ingredient in mouthwashes and toothpaste.

Thymol also exhibits anti-parasitic properties, and is also biodegradable, and is therefore used in the manufacture of pesticides.

This plant is also widely used to make potpourri. Fresh leaves and flowers are collected and then dried in paper bags, and then used to impart fragrance to potpourri.
The leaves of this plant are also edible, and because of their mint-like fragrance, used as garnishes in salads.

The essential oil from this plant is used to make perfumes and is also used in aromatherapy as a stress buster and to reduce anxiety. It is also used in the prevention of insomnia.
Bee balm essential oil also contains carvacrol, which is antibacterial in nature. Hence this oil is used to treat acne and other facial skin eruptions.

Grow Notes
Prefers full to part shade in moist, well-draining soil.

Sow
Raise seedlings by planting seeds in seed raising mix at 1mm depth in Spring and Summer with 45cm spacing between plants.

Keep soil moist, not wet.

Germination
7-14 days at 16-21°C

Maturity
365 days. Plants flower in the second year.

Picture by Robert H. Mohlenbrock. USDA NRCS. 1992. Western wetland flora: Field office guide to plant species. West Region, Sacramento. Courtesy of USDA NRCS Wetland Science Institute., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons