Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia

40 Years of Growing Gardens and Gardeners

colorful fall leaves of rhus aromatica
Rhus aromatica ‘Gro-Lo’ (Fragrant Sumac) Photo © Mary Free
You are here: Home / Plants / Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic / Perennials / Monarda fistulosa (Wild Bergamot)

Monarda fistulosa (Wild Bergamot)

Monarda fistulosa (Wild Bergamot) mature leaves and flower buds.
Monarda fistulosa (Wild Bergamot) with two-spotted bumble bee
Bilabiate flowers with tubular upper lip and 3-lobed lower lip of Monarda fistulosa (wild bergamot) in June.
Monarda fistulosa (Wild Bergamot) flowers open from the center to the periphery
Monarda fistulosa (Wild Bergamot) with eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly
Monarda fistulosa (Wild Bergamot) in landscape
Four nutlets develop within each calyx of Monarda fistulosa (wild bergamot)
Monarda fistulosa (Wild Bergamot) seed heads in February

Note: Click on images to see enlarged photos, captions, and photo attributions.
On a mobile phone, click on the information symbol (circle with a letter ℹ︎ symbol).

Monarda fistulosa Wild Bergamot Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic This showy mint family member boasts a fragrance similar to bergamot oranges. Its aromatic leaves are used in herbal tea. Flowers attract myriad pollinators, especially native bees that also nest in their dead, hollow stems. The Virginia Native Plant Society named Wild Bergamot* Wildflower of the Year in 1993. Perennial Clump, Flowers with Pollinators,** Fruit Height: 2–4 feet Spread: 2–3 feet Bloom color: Pink, lavender Characteristics Clump-forming, showy perennial with erect stems Opposite, aromatic, toothed, ovate, gray-green leaves Bilabiate (two-lipped), tubular flowers in mostly solitary, terminal verticillasters bloom June to Sept. Schizocarp of 4 nutlets enclosed in persistent calyx Spreads from creeping rhizomes and seeds Attributes Tolerates various soil types (including clay), some drought, and Black Walnut; no serious pests but powdery mildew and rust can be problems; deer seldom severely damage Ethnobotanic, therapeutic, herbal uses (edible flowers & leaves with Greek oregano-like flavor) Attracts hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees; larval host to ~12 lepidopterans incl. Orange Mint moth Growing and Maintenance Tips Soil Requirements: Well-drained Light Requirements: Sun, Partial Shade Excellent Replacement for Hesperis matronalis - Dame's Rocket Lythrum salicaria - Purple Loosestrife Water Requirements: Dry, Moist Deadhead to prolong blooms; cut back the dead, hollow stems, in which native bees nest, to 12–24 inches; divide every 2–3 years in early March Grow in full sun in well-aerated soil and prune for good air circulation to lessen powdery mildew *It is native in DC. It is rare in Delaware. It is present in MD mostly in the Piedmont and throughout PA. The species, which in VA includes three varieties (var. fistulosa, var. mollis, and var. rubra) that have not been fully sorted out, is common in the mountains, frequent in the Piedmont, and rare in the Coastal Plain. In NoVA, it has not been reported in Prince William County. **Monarda fistulosa attracts pollinators like Bombus bimaculatus (two-spotted bumble bee) and the monarch butterfly. Leaves (middle right) show signs of powdery mildew. Use massed in perennial border, herb, meadow, native plant, or wild garden Hardiness: USDA Zones 3a–9b developed by Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia, serving Arlington and Alexandria Images by Mary Free, Glencarlyn and private gardens, Arlington, VA and by Elaine Mills (monarch), Meadowlark Botanical Gardens

Tried and True Native Plant Selections
 for the Mid-Atlantic

Print Version (Legal Size):
Monarda fistulosa (Wild Bergamot)

This showy mint family member boasts a fragrance similar to bergamot oranges. Its aromatic leaves are used in herbal tea. Flowers attract myriad pollinators, especially native bees that also nest in their dead, hollow stems. The Virginia Native Plant Society named Wild Bergamot* Wildflower of the Year in 1993.

*It is native in DC. It is rare in Delaware. It is present in MD mostly in the Piedmont and throughout PA. The species, which in VA includes three varieties (var. fistulosa, var. mollis, and var. rubra) that have not been fully sorted out, is common in the mountains, frequent in the Piedmont, and rare in the Coastal Plain. In NoVA, it has not been reported in Prince William County. You can view the VA counties in which it has been reported here.

Video © Mary Free
A variety of pollinators visit Monarda fistulosa (wild bergamot) at the Glencarlyn Library Community Garden on June 25 and 28, 2016. Learn more about Pollinators.

Learn more about other Mid-Atlantic plants: 
Tried and True Native Plant Fact Sheets