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Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)

from $8.99
Only 4 available

Botanical name: Monarda fistulosa • Bloom season: Summer • Bloom color: Lavender, pink, or white • Host plant (elsewhere in North America): Pyrausta generosa, Pyrausta signatalis, Sphinx eremitus

Soft, shaggy heads on tall square stems, with grayish aromatic foliage. Blooms can be pink, lavender, or white, and you can't predict the color before it blooms. This is the wild species rather than a bred selection, and it is tougher and more drought-tolerant than red garden bee balm. Ecologically, it supports many species: specialist bees, hummingbirds, butterflies by day, and hawk moths at dusk all use it.

Botanical name: Monarda fistulosa • Bloom season: Summer • Bloom color: Lavender, pink, or white • Host plant (elsewhere in North America): Pyrausta generosa, Pyrausta signatalis, Sphinx eremitus

Soft, shaggy heads on tall square stems, with grayish aromatic foliage. Blooms can be pink, lavender, or white, and you can't predict the color before it blooms. This is the wild species rather than a bred selection, and it is tougher and more drought-tolerant than red garden bee balm. Ecologically, it supports many species: specialist bees, hummingbirds, butterflies by day, and hawk moths at dusk all use it.

Size:

Plant Characteristics

Botanical Name: Monarda fistulosa

Common Name: Wild Bergamot (pink)

Native: Native

Sun: Full Sun

Water: Moderate

Bloom Time: Summer

Bloom Color: Lavender-pink

Pollinators: Bees; Butterflies; Hummingbirds; Moths

Deer Resistant: Yes

Mature Size: W 2'-3' x H 2'-4'

Soil: Well-drained; tolerates lean soil

Plant Type: Herbaceous perennial

USDA Zones: 3 to 9

Spread Habit: Spreads by rhizome

Available As: Live plant

Native Region: Eastern & Central N.A.; Western Great Plains (western edge)

Host Plant (Elsewhere in North America): Pyrausta generosa, Pyrausta signatalis, Sphinx eremitus

Growing Notes

Full sun in well-drained ground; it tolerates lean soil and considerably more drought than the red bee balms, which makes it the better choice for an unirrigated Reno garden. Space about 2 feet apart for air circulation, which limits powdery mildew. Water moderately in the first season.

•   Water: Moderate

•   Sun: Full Sun

•   Soil: Well-drained; tolerates lean soil, more drought tolerant than red bee balms

•   Mature size: W 2'-3' x H 2'-4'

Maintenance

Thin a third of the stems in spring for air movement. Leave the stems standing over winter and cut back in late spring, keeping about a third for overwintering insects. It spreads by rhizome; divide every three or four years, keeping the outer growth and discarding the woody center. Mildew on the lower leaves late in the season is cosmetic and not worth treating.