How to Grow Wild Bergamot (a.k.a Bee balm) - Complete Growing Guide
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 14 ส.ค. 2018
- This bright, tall, showy perennial known as Bee Balm or Wild Bergamot is one you have to add to your garden not only for its beneficial insect attracting aspects but also for its edible and herbal aspects too. Great in tea, as well as salads, and garnishes. Try growing some with the help of this complete growing guide!
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It's called "Bee Balm" because it was used as a salve for bee stings.
This is amazing! Please do a growing guide on borage 😊
I grew a purple variety from rareseeds and it had multiple blooms on one stem , very pretty, and drought tolerant!
How much did you pay for those seeds? I live in Texas, this is a wild flower that naturally grows in my yard. I was also surprised with a small flower ground cherry and a number of multi head sunflowers as well. It's so beautiful and it brings me joy to see their beautiful flowers.
@@M377ow I just got the same seeds. Probably hundreds, since they're so miniscule, for 2.50. Also was able to get stinging nettle, which I'm excited about. I have no idea where to find these wild in Oklahoma.
Just got this today from rare seeds ! My gladiolus spread and wiped out my bee balm !
This is great to hear. I got bee balm seeds from them this year and have them starting inside. Can't wait to see them bloom!
@@sarahsweeney7048 I took some seeds from my yard last fall! I just germinated them and have a bunch of seedlings!
Just a small but relevant critique: Describing the growth needs of Bergamot certainly helps yet one very vital stage was not included: Planting. When to plant, details of how best to plant (indoors to begin, scattered seed on outside soil etc?) I look forward to 'checking out' more of your videos. Regards, K.
I planted these seeds from Luke in spring 2020. It grew to about 30” tall last year, but didn’t flower. July 2021 it is flowering heavily & is now 67” tall & falling over. I can’t believe it’s so tall! It’s covered in bees. The only problem I’ve had with it is powdery mildew.
Can’t wait to grow it in the spring next year. Just bought some from you and love the color.
Once again thanks for the video. You always manage to post videos when I get ready to start something new & have no idea what to do. Excited in growing Bee Balm.
Grew these from seed in my garden over here in Germany and I'm amazed at how beautiful they are. And they're really easy too, I rarely watered them. I basically just grew them from seed in a pot, then transplanted them to my garden bed after the last frost. My Oregano is definitely the most popular with bees but they like this one too. Even saw a hummingbird hawk moth for the first time! I put some leaves into tomato sauce recently but I mostly leave it for the bees. I'll definitely grow them next year too.
I just found your channel yesterday--love it. I am starting a small herb garden and need all the help I can get. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Wild bergamot is native to most of the lower 48 states. The wild-type will also grow in part shade as it's found in both prairies and woodlands. I don't know about the cultivars, but I don't think their sunlight requirements differ much. Of course, full sunlight is optimal, but it should do just fine in the shady part of your yard!
I work in an organic nursary. Last year we got in Peter's Purple bee balm. I took about a dozen 1-2 stem plants in 4" pots and planted them in a circular bed about 6-7 ft across late last spring in our butterfly garden. By spring this year they'd completely taken over the bed and the blooms were just amazing! I brought some home for my own garden this spring, as well as a late summer-fall blooming variety called Scarlet Panorama. Definitely a great addition to the garden! It will spread by root and take over an area much like mint will so be prepared.
I love my Bee Balm and it has spread through the years. I also never knew you could eat it. But, my Bee Balm ALWAYS gets powdery mildew. It's the first plant in my garden to die back from P.M.But it always bounces back after cutting down. Thanks.
Mine (7,800 ft in the Rockies) is over 5 ft. high. The hummers love it too! It wafts in the wind and is just beautiful. The pride of my wildflower garden. Thank you for the video.
How long did it take for them to get that big?
I LOVE Bee Balm. I have it in red and a really deep purple. Great video!
Thanks, I’ve planted my first three and the hummingbirds love it.
I love Bee Balm, mine is a beautiful red. I had no idea it was edible. I love the scent the plant gives off when I brush by it.
Do you happen to know how bee balm performs if it is near roads where they salt in the winter?
It makes wonderful tea. Leaves and blossoms!
We have had a 2 1/2 week drought here in Northern MI and my Bee Balm has been on the wilty side. Soooo I have been keeping it watered every other day. It likes that! It gets about 8 hrs Sun.
Thank you!! So much great information sharing. My first year planting bee balm💚
Thanks for this useful information!🍀🌹Beautiful garden!!💖
I thank God for creating you.
We have the red bee balm and our hummingbirds love it; as well as the butterflies, bumble bees
My neighbor has the red monarda bee balm in her woods and it is almost full shade. It is HUGE (about 5 feet high) and very wide. Just stunning!
ty for using a lot of details w this. very helpful. had bergamot seeds for a while now still deciding on what's gonna be best w them for now still gotta determine space around my yard for em.
Very informative and straight to the point. Thank you.
Another great informative video.thank you.😊
I'm excited to grow these!
I LOVE MONARDAS. Horsemint and balms and I don’t know why, I just LOVE THEM.
I did learn something new! ;) I didn't know bee balm and bergamot were one in the same, thank you!!! ;) I'm definitely going to plant some on the perimeter on my garden, much appreciated Luke!
They're not the same though lol. The bergamot used to make Earl Grey tea is an oil from the rind of the bergamot variety of orange. The herb in this video is the monarda, known by the common names of bee balm or bergamot (supposedly because of the similarity of scent to the true citrus bergamot).
Its not, even tho you wrote this 3 years ago. Bergamot is an orange like fruit. Idk why they even call this wild bergamot
I came here to see if this flower will grow in South Florida. I’m gonna try growing it. Thank you.
Gorgeous. Gotta get some
Never heard it called Bergamont, we always called it Monarda. Mine are a dark red. Beautiful flower that attracts a lot of bees, but we also get hummingbird hawk moths. They're pretty neat!
Dave's Journey Monarda usually refers to the “tamer” varieties found in gardens, of which red is the more common. Bergamot usually refers to the wild type, in my experience.
Monarda is the "scientific/latin" name for the genus. Wild bergamot is the common name that I generally see applied to the native Monarda fistulosa (pink). There are a few other native species in the Monarda group, as well as a bunch of commercial "cultivars". It seems like the common name "bee balm" is also inconsistently applied to the monarda plants.
The dark red is the Monarda didyma aka bee balm. Monarda fistulosa is wild bergamot.
Monarda punctata is spotted bee balm.
Monarda citriodora is lemon bergamot.
I grew this last year and it did not come back 😢. It looked so beautiful and spread nicely last year too. Next time I will add the fertilizer. TFS
Love the new intro music and video.
Wow learned something new today.. thank you
Terrific information. Well presented. So excited to be growing this for my bees! Lord though--- are there truly HOAs that prohibit people from growing a vegetable garden to sustain their bodies? That's some whackadoodle stuff there!
Yes my HOA has no idea I grow all kinds of root and green leafy vegetables or edible flowers since they look like pretty flowers or green plants.
@@Jacklynofalltrades quinoa, New Zealand spinach, artichokes, sunchokes, amaranth, buckwheat,sweet potato, and possibly ground cheery can slip under the radar. I have a feeling HOAs might be easing up on gardeners given what's going on.
Beautiful, and man does it multiply!
I grew some in a pot in winter and it's blooming now. I live in the Tampa area. Just had my first taste and it is peppery. Earl Grey is my favorite tea so I am going to experiment with adding it to my black teas. Come up with my own recipe.
thanks Luke very good Information I well try to remember that
Looks like you started a Bergamont vs Bee Balm debate here in the comments!!! LOL Good topic for another video! I love Bee Balm btw! TY
Thanks, very informative
Great info, thanks
That's what that plant was I could never find out the ID for it thank you so much I found it growing by a retention pond. Nice😍😆😄😊
Your videos are osm... Wow.. I like this type of garden ..love you.. From India...
My bee balm had 3 different colored flowers.
Most informative video on monarda
It’s such a pretty plant :-)
Love love love it
I just received bee balm seeds as a freebie in a recent purchase too, the universe once again!! 🤔
Yes the universe gives us what we need!!
YEAA, wonderful to know! Can I eat the entire purple flower? without the green leaves correct?
Hello Luke, been watching quite a few of your videos lately and love them. My question is would Wild Bergamot spread a lot? I prefer plants that don’t spread too much that overtakes the area esp if I want something else in that location later which might make it hard to remove. I have made mistake of planting raspberries, mint and other stuff in ground that spread so much that has become hard to maintain and control.
You need to a link to your web page on all your videos.
I picked seed from the road side.
Mine is lavender and I've gotten hundreds of blooms. Got a spring set of blooms, grinned then back, got another set, then another and another.
I had about 3 months of blooms
I lost most of my bee balm this year but have a few plants left that I want to move to a different location. Can I transplant them and if so when is the best time to do that. Great video by the way. I didn't know Bergemont was the same thing.
i have some growing in the new house I bought. It was planted around a tree and you can see where the mother plant has died off and spread outward as there is now a bare circle this spring around the tree while small, vine looking new growth is farther out. I would like to dig up some and replant in the inner part to fill it back in. Is there any real trick or secret to digging up and replanting? Wait until its a little taller? End of season? Right now its end of March and I am in Illinois. Looks like just some small vine leaves just on top of the soil. No actual height yet. Thanks!
I’ve got my iPad outside with me and I’m right now cleaning a spot for the Bee Balm. Bergamot.
I live in what is classed as sub tropical zone so will this still grow or should it be planted in semi shade and miss out in some of the flowers
Hello, I was wondering if cold stratification is needed for bee balm seeds? Also, since it is September in Wisconsin, should I plant the seeds now or wait until spring? Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks
I live in zone 7B. I just planted yesterday the dark pink variety. How do I prune it and when? I have a purple more dwarf like that I’ll be planting to. Do I cut it back like mint?
Do you use a dried flower to make essential oils or a fresh flower ?
I just sowed these today. I'm hoping that they grow because I need to take care of the bees. I'm looking forward to my sunflowers blooming, but diversity is king.
My bee balm’s first year and small inch worms ate all the flowers and left dirt and webs where the flowers would have been. What can I do differently next year to keep those worms/caterpillars to stay away? Also I don’t want to use DE because of the bees.
Neem oil?
That intro is still dope
hi is there any difference between lemon bergamot and just bergamot? or is it that one has lemon flavor
why are the bottom leaves of my bee balm turning yellow and is is best to thin out bee balm? Thanks
how is your pepper and zucchini plants doing update please ,im in michigan mine not doing well both start to rot before ready to pick
Do you still have your bee balm? They survived the brutal winters? I am considering adding it to my container garden in Chicago, zone 5b.
You can use the leaves for herbal tea
Tried to grow this year but the bunnies got to it before it was established. Have to think of a spot in my back yard for next year. Counted 6 bees 🐝.
if you cant fence them I mixed hot sauce and water and sprayed mine... that seemed to show those little buggers haha
I had that idea but with boiled habaneros
Use hanging baskets and grow bee balm. You could also grow it a chair or table to keep it away from rabbits.
Thank you for that tutorial. However, it's not true that all flowering plants want full sun - I just walked in the woods and passed a lot of angelica. Most were growing in shady conditions, but some were growing in a clearing. The ones in the shade were at least as bountiful as the ones in the sun. And by the way, since you sell it, could you do a growing guide on angelica? I bought a package of seeds from you and got zero germination, having planted them in various places.
Germination rate on Angelica seeds is really low. Also, I would make sure you know what you are picking for Angelica. The water celery or is it parsley. (I cant remember) looks a lot like it and is deadly.
That's water hemlock. Last year I got some angelica seeds from another company since then and got some germination. Thank goodness I see that it's coming back this year, so it can self-seed, which is by far the best. And I know exactly what it is.
Mine are giant in sun and partial sun, i do feed them, they spread to the exact new locations i wanted, really funny to me. Just love this plant
My bee balm has not flowered. It got really tall, so I trimmed it. I hope that is okay and that it will flower
I haven seen many bees but I have seen Bumble bees lots of them is this ok. Also my beebalm flowers are just alittle darker purple is that ok to make tea with.
Its also called Sweet Leaf. I really love that name :)
Can bee balm be grown as a cut and come again plant, for tea or propagation? Mine seeded and came back crazy this year & I chopped it down before it flowered, broke them apart and replanted them again. They seem to be fine but I neglected them a little and didn't cut it down to the bottom but left about a foot & they're stringy looking so I wanted to cut it back again. I don't know if it'll flower this year after I butchered it but have hopes it will. I just wonder if it can be a cut and come again, without allowing it to flower at all? Or, is it the re-seeding that brings them back the next year? I gave it plenty nutrients, worm stuff, trifecta, old cow manure,
What about the "red" variety of bee balm? Is that the same, and is that also Bergamot?
Should I see directly into soil or start indoors?
Thx ..so informative and never have seen the bush...💜love bergamot tea or Earl grey. TH-cam Waynesville NC 🇺🇸 Veteran
I'm buying a house in an HOA, I would LOVE IT if you did an entire video on plants that I could put in my front yard!!! Thanks
Casey Jay Benson call to sign up for free Master Gardner class @ your local County Agriculture Dept. It may refer you to state level, but again, it should still be free. It will train you what to plant where, when, how much, etc. to the point that you would be able to tell your HOA what and how to plant the yards. ♥ it should save you $$.
Casey Jay Benson your HOA SD shuld have their requirements written down. Ask for a copy of the list.
Thank you! I didnt know that was an option
Piece of advice.... Never move into a HOA
When do you plant them?
You say full sun but what temperatures do they handle? Here it reaches 100 degrees is that too hot for full sun?
Do you recommend direct sowing these from seed or starting them in a greenhouse first? I feel like it’s too late to start anything from seed this year unless I’m direct sowing it. I purchased these seeds from you recently and I’m wondering if I should wait until next year to plant them. 🤔🤷♀️
What would you suggest for northern nj climate?
I personally think it's a bit late to start them this year (I'm in SE PA). I've read that to make it easier on yourself, just mix the seeds in a bucket with sand and then throw the seed down where you want it in the fall. Many of them need the cold stratification and winter does that perfectly.
Than you!
@Fun Games LOL. Yup-- there is an imaginary k there that didn't get typed in apparently! :) Enjoy your day!
I've seen this growing on the side of the road, does it transplant well or better to start from seed?
7 months later.. It grows well from underground rhizomes and does transplant very well
I have a wild pollinators section of my back yard that I pretty much just "let go" through the year. Bee Balm is one of the plants I have in addition to lavender, zinnias (have to plant each year) Butterfly weed, Yarrow and Sage. Any other suggestions for self-sustaining flowers for a wild pollinator part of a yard?
Rudbeckia, Gaillardia, Echinacea, Coreopsis, and Liatris are perennials native to much of the US. Check the species and the range if you want to be more specific! I hope your garden thrives!
Gazania perhaps try and see if cypress vine could works it looks nice
Alyssum and California poppy
That's what I have growing out front!
Is this also referred to as sweet leaf?
Wild bergamot is native to my area and they flower amazingly in the crappiest sandy soil ever. I never fertilize. But I guess every soil is different.
Does bee balm have temperature requirements? Can it be planted year round? I live in zone 9A, aka central Hades....
Search "Monarda fistulosa" (Latin binomial) on-line. It should be viable zones 3-9. Rosemary (another Lamiaceae) does well in the heat, even dry.
I'm in 9 also. I grow mint, rosemary, basil, lavender, etc. I would think it wouldn't mind the sun and heat.
Will it bloom again after dead heading?
Thank you for the great video! Just one question: Is it true that this plant does not grow flowers in the first year when it was planted by seed?
I bought seeds from MI Gardener direct sowed them in large containers and had big beautiful blooms my first year. They actually grew triple or quadruple tiered flowers!
@@ncgreenie6707 Thank you! :)
Is Bee balm the same thing as lemon balm?
What zone does bee bam grow in ?
From my understanding , the reason why it's called bee balm actually is because it was applied to bee stings. Little harder for the bees to access this.
I find bee balm is prone to powdery mildew? In my gardens
yotagerlie-It’s caused by lack of air flow mostly, so make sure your patch isn’t over crowded and get enough sun. Make sure that your plants stay well hydrated, watering in the evenings is best. Using soaker hoses is recommended. Remove spent plants after frost in the fall, apply dormant oil if mildew is severe, then mulch. Use Neem oil to treat powdery mildew, but only spray the leaves, not the flowers. Spray in the evening after temps have settled below 80. You can use mild dishwashing liquid in warm water in a pinch to treat mildew as well however this method doesn’t kill the spores, just washes them off.
Tried growing from seeds with direct sow but nothing.... any advice as to growing from seeds?
Hi Anna. Monarda can be a real bear to get to germinate. But if you follow some easy steps you’ll have success. First they require in most cases a period of stratification. Basically you need to trick the seed into thinking it’s going through a winter dormancy period. You do this by placing the seeds in wet paper towels and leaving them in the fridge for several weeks. You can get more info online about this. The second thing is that they should only be sprinkled on the surface of the soil. The reason for this is because Monarda seeds actually germinate best if exposed to light. With a heat mat mine germinate in 3-5 days. They grow verrrrrry slow at first. Good luck
I am a beekeeper and I have not seen one honey bee on these bee balms. wondering if what I bought is hybrid or what. Bumble bees would go to it but they don’t need to store nectar like honey bees.
does this plant need to be contained like mint does
I was wondering about that too
If you don't want to start from seed and you live in a state where these are native, you can usually find at least one organization having a native plant sale in the spring that will have plants cheaper than a nursery!
Is this fusarium resistant?
Does bee balm come up every year. Or do I need to save the seeds
Perennial.