Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) in the Bee Balms Database

General Plant Information (Edit)
Plant Habit:	Herb/Forb
Life cycle:	Perennial
Sun Requirements:	Full Sun to Partial Shade
Water Preferences:	Dry Mesic Dry
Soil pH Preferences:	Neutral (6.6 – 7.3)
Plant Height:	2 to 4 feet
Plant Spread:	2 to 3 feet
Leaves:	Unusual foliage color Fragrant
Flowers:	Showy Fragrant
Flower Color:	Lavender White Bi-Color: White-Pink and lavender
Flower Time:	Late spring or early summer Summer Late summer or early fall Other: Deadhead flowers to prolong bloom period.
Suitable Locations:	Xeriscapic
Uses:	Culinary Herb Medicinal Herb Cut Flower Dried Flower Will Naturalize
Wildlife Attractant:	Bees Butterflies Hummingbirds
Resistances:	Deer Resistant Drought tolerant
Propagation: Seeds:	Self fertile Other info: Readily self-seeds. Seeds mature 3 months after bloom.
Propagation: Other methods:	Cuttings: Stem Cuttings: Root Division Other: Divide every 3 years to improve air circulation.
Pollinators:	Bees

Victory Seed Company sells seeds of Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa).

Common names

Wild Bergamot
Bergamot
Wild Bee Balm
Beebalm
Horsemint
Bee Balm

Photo Gallery

Uploaded by Corber

Location: Prairie Restoration at Secor Metro Park, Toledo, Ohio
Date: 2012-07-09
Wild Bergamot, visited by a Clearwing or Hummingbird Moth. #inse

Uploaded by arctangent

Uploaded by LoriMT

Location: Lilburn, GA
Date: 2020-07-07
bumble bees are frequently found sleeping in the Monarda

Uploaded by mmolyson

Photo Courtesy of Prairie Nursery. Used with Permission

Uploaded by Joy

Uploaded by Phytodiscovery

Location: Prairie Restoration at Secor Metro Park, Toledo, Ohio
Date: 2012-07-09
Clearwing moth feeding on wild bergamot. I left the shadowy unfo

Uploaded by arctangent

Location: Northeastern Indiana - Zone 5b
Date: 2010-07-09
In our mostly native meadow.

Uploaded by chelle

Uploaded by Gerris2

Uploaded by Corber

Uploaded by DianeSeeds

Uploaded by BlueFlagFan

Uploaded by Corber

Location: Yard, near Central Iowa
Date: 2015-11-08
On college-ruled notebook paper, very small seed

Uploaded by Chillybean

Date: 2021-06-03
Starting to bloom + a crab spider on guard

Uploaded by Corber

Location: Kentucky
Date: 2022-06-29
a very thoughtful gardener kindly surprised me with this plant ba

Uploaded by dryad

Uploaded by lauribob

Location: Lucketts, Loudoun County, Virginia
Date: 2015-07-25

Uploaded by greenthumb99

Location: My Northeastern Indiana Gardens - Zone 5b
Date: Jul 7, 2010 2:43 PM
In Our Mostly Native Meadow

Uploaded by chelle

Uploaded by Joy

Location: My garden in N E Pa.
Date: 2007-07-16

Uploaded by treehugger

Uploaded by Gerris2

Location: Our Prairie to be, near Central Iowa
Date: 2015-05-10
Before the stems shot up, I enjoyed the "Bee Balm Balls".

Uploaded by Chillybean

Uploaded by admin

Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Date: 2016-07-12
pale purple flowers

Uploaded by ILPARW

Location: Kentucky
Date: 2022-06-29
the flowers are so elegant ♡

Uploaded by dryad

Location: Kentucky
Date: 2022-06-26
it looks like playdough being squished through a hydraulic press!

Uploaded by dryad

Location: Lilburn, GA
Date: 2023-08-10
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Uploaded by mmolyson

Date: c. 1913
illustration from Britton and Brown's 'An illustrated Flora of th

Uploaded by scvirginia

Uploaded by Corber

Location: University of Tartu Botanical Gardens, Estonia
Date: 2022-08-23

Uploaded by D3LL

Uploaded by D3LL

Location: Maryland
Date: 2015-06-25
For every bee, a blossom

Uploaded by Catmint20906

Location: My Northeastern Indiana Gardens - Zone 5b
Date: 2013-07-22

Uploaded by chelle

Uploaded by chelle

Uploaded by Corber

Uploaded by admin

Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Date: 2019-01-13
the plant in winter

Uploaded by ILPARW

Location: Silver Spring, MD
Date: 2014-07-07

Uploaded by Catmint20906

Uploaded by admin

Date: 2005-06-12
Photo: Dr. Charles M. Allen

Uploaded by SongofJoy

Location: Lucketts, Loudoun County, Virginia
Date: 2014-07-26

Uploaded by greenthumb99

Location: Washington D.C.
Date: 2017-07-02
Monarda fistulosa in full bloom

Uploaded by biker999

Location: Hemaris diffinis (snowberry clearwing moth) nectaring at Monarda fistulosa (wild bergamot)
Photo courtesy of: Tom Potterfield

Uploaded by admin

Location: Tennessee
courtesy Sunlight Gardens, www.sunlightgardens.com

Uploaded by SongofJoy

Uploaded by lauribob

Uploaded by Catmint20906

Uploaded by Catmint20906

Courtesy Gardens in the Wood of Grassy Creek

Uploaded by vic

Uploaded by admin

Uploaded by admin

Location: Ingleside. Illinois
Date: 2023-05-27

Uploaded by antsinmypants

Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Date: 2016-07-12
big plant in bloom

Uploaded by ILPARW

Uploaded by Corber

Uploaded by Gerris2

Location: central Illinois (Lake Sangchris St. Pk.)
Date: 2017-08-05

Uploaded by jmorth

Location: Corpus Christi, TX
Date: 2021-03-24

Uploaded by Andrew_Lyall

Location: Silver Spring, MD
Date: 2014-06-27

Uploaded by Catmint20906

Location: Monarda fistulosa (wild bergamot) with spanworm or looper, likely Chlorochlamys chloroleucaria (blackberry looper)
Photo courtesy of: Tom Potterfield

Uploaded by admin

Location: Saint Paul, Minnesota
Date: 2021-03-22
The first growth shows at the base of old stems in early spring.

Uploaded by jhugart

Location: All pictures taken in/on my gardens/greenhouse/property
Date: 2018-03-02

Uploaded by janinilulu

Location: All pictures taken in/on my gardens/greenhouse/property
Date: 2018-03-02
Grown from seed collected from a dark flowering form (grew from s

Uploaded by janinilulu

Uploaded by Joy

Uploaded by kchd

Location: North Branch, MN
Date: 2017-07-07

Uploaded by Anderwood

Uploaded by sedumzz

Uploaded by sedumzz

Location: near Smyrna, Delaware
Date: 2014-07-29
Tiger Swallowtail on flowers

Uploaded by ILPARW

Uploaded by admin

Uploaded by robertduval14

Uploaded by Joy

Location: western Illinois
Date: 2012-07-03

Uploaded by jmorth

Location: Southeastern Iowa
Date: 2012-07-02
near the Mississippi River

Uploaded by jmorth

This plant is tagged in:

Comments:

Posted by Catmint20906 (PNW WA half hour south of Olympia - Zone 8a) on Aug 3, 2014 2:45 PM concerning plant:

Monarda fistulosa has special value to native and bumble bees. It attracts a variety of bee species including longhorned, cuckoo, green sweat, wool carder, small resin, leafcutter, and black sweat bees. It is also reportedly an excellent browsing plants for bumble bees.

This plant also attracts a variety of beneficial insects to the garden, including mason wasps, great black wasps, hoverflies, bee flies, soldier beetles, and banded longhorned beetles. These beneficial insects consume a variety of common garden pests.

Reply to this comment
Posted by ILPARW (southeast Pennsylvania - Zone 6b) on Feb 15, 2018 5:09 PM concerning plant:

Wild Bergamot is a pretty and easy perennial that is a real pollinator magnet, full of many kinds of bees, wasps, butterflies, hummingbirds, and others. I see it growing wild in some spots around southeast PA. Its native range is from Minnesota into western Quebec & New England then southward in upland sites. It is sold by most all native plant nurseries around its native range and by some large, diverse nurseries. It is used a lot as an element in native meadow and prairie restorations and with native plant landscapes.

Reply to this comment

Plant Events from our members
Catmint20906	On June 23, 2015	Bloomed
aspenhill	On May 17, 2014	Obtained plant Green Spring Plant Sale - qty 1
lovesblooms	On June 19, 2015	Bloomed 1st blooms from 2014 winter sown plant
paleohunter	On April 10, 2022	Seeds sown
paleohunter	On May 16, 2021	Seeds sown
antsinmypants	On April 14, 2023	Plant emerged Several seedlings have emerged.
antsinmypants	On March 2, 2023	Seeds sown WS several.
pinetastic	On July 1, 2023	Bloomed
pinetastic	On September 20, 2022	Obtained plant Mother Earth Gardens
Retro67	On April 21, 2024	Seeds sown proposed seeding date

» Post your own event for this plant

Discussion Threads about this plant

Thread Title	Last Reply	Replies
Bee Balm (Monarda fistulosa) by virginiarose	Jan 7, 2012 5:41 PM	4

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Bee Balms Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)

Bee Balms

Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)