Our farm flower is wild bergamot. This perennial is in the mint family and also known by its botanical name Monarda fistulosa. It’s a favorite of, you guessed it Bees! Also enjoyed by butterflies and humming birds. Bergamot is native to Pennsylvania producing attractive and fragrant foliage all summer long. The flower heads are two to three inches wide and bloom in pink, lavender, and purple.
We chose wild bergamot because it is a strong attraction for pollinators. The flowers are nectar rich and we are happy to create an environment for pollinators to feast on each summer! We hope that our resident population of Eastern Fire Flies will also enjoy the nectar this summer – although there is no evidence that lighting bugs feed on bergamot.
Bergamot is goat and horse safe, non-toxic and once established largely avoided by deer and rabbits. This flowering perennial will bright up our farm and add color to our permaculture guilds.
The flowers are edible and can be tossed in salads, used as garnish and brewed into tea. Most notable is Oswego tea, made for centuries by the Oswego Indians who used the plant for medicinal purposes.
We will begin planting in the spring. I have started 30 seedlings, but these plants will not flower in the first year. I plan to purchase around 100 more mature plants from a local grower so we can enjoy the benefits of wild bergamot while building up our flower beds. Any recommendations for a local green house?
We are very pleased to have a signature flower for our farm that is both useful to the environment and has a pleasing aesthetic. The video below is a wonderful review of the benefits of growing wild bergamot. We are encouraged to learn this hardy plant is easy to grow, provides an important food source for insects and birds, has a long root system to mitigate erosion, repels mosquitos, is drought tolerant, provides long lasting cut flowers for decorating and smells like oregano!
Tune in to our next Life of Farm blog where we will profile the installation of our wildflower meadow!
