Wild Bergamot (SE Minnesota Ecotype)

Life cycle: Perennial

Lovely crowns of pale purple flowers grace these 4-foot-tall native perennials in the mint family. Pollinators absolutely love this plant. The leaves are edible and especially good when young and tender, making for a slightly minty potherb. The whole plant is used for a mildly minty tea, fresh or dry. Leaves and flowers can be used in salads too.

Like other bee balms, wild bergamot is an excellent honey plant — if you grow enough to produce a monofloral honey you'll be rewarded with one of the most precious and delicious honeys on the planet, sweet and sultry, with the faintest whisper of musky mintiness.

Our seed comes from our friend Bonnie in Winona, Minnesota, who is a talented forager and wildcrafter, and very familiar with the flora of the Driftless region. This seed was harvested wild in the Winona area.

GROWING TIPS: Grows to 4 feet tall and 2 feet wide. Enjoys wet to medium soil, and full to partial sun. Blooms between July and September. Spring seeding, no cold stratification needed.