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Tried and True Native Plant Selections
for the Mid-Atlantic
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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 many pollinators, especially bees. Seed heads attract small birds. The Virginia Native Plant Society named Wild Bergamot* Wildflower of the Year in 1993.
*It is native in DC, Maryland and in the Piedmont of Delaware. It is native in about two-thirds of the counties in PA. In VA, it is frequent in the Piedmont, common in the mountains, and rare in the Coastal Plain (it is absent in Prince William County).
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