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Growing: Bergamot (Bee Balm) |
| By Ellen Brown |
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| Botanical Name: | | Monarda didyma |
| Common names: | | Bergamot, Bee Balm, Oswego tea |
| Description: | | Bergamot is grown for its decorative flowers and aromatic foliage. The plants consist of tubular, crown-like flowers on top of 3 to 4 foot stems with dark green aromatic leaves. Usually bright scarlet in color, the flowers bloom in mid to late summer and also come in salmon, pink, mauve, purple or white, which, along with most gardeners, bees and hummingbirds also find attractive. |
| Life Cycle: | | perennial |
| Exposure: | | full sun or partial shade |
| Cultivation: | | Bergamot like moist, fertile soil so work plenty of compost into the ground before planting each spring. |
| Propagation: | | seeds or cuttings; divide clumps in autumn every two years; named cultivars must be propagated by cuttings or division. |
| Parts Used: | | leaves; sweet orange-like fragrance |
| Harvesting and Storage: | | cut fresh leaves for use as needed |
| Medicinal Uses: | | aromatherapy
| | Culinary Uses: | | use leaves in salads, fruit salads, fruit drinks, teas (flowers), pork and other meat dishes. Bee Balm leaves are the primary leaves in Earl Grey teas. |
| Other Uses: | | use flowers and leaves for wreaths, posies, aromatic bath water, cut flowers, perennial border and beds, potpourri, perfumes, scented oil and candles |
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