Nerdy Millennial

Top Menu

  • About
  • Contact
  • Write For Us

Main Menu

  • Career
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Blogging
      • Social Media
      • SEO and Keyword Research
  • College
  • Arts & Culture
  • Technology
  • Health and Fitness
    • Nutrition
    • Recipes
      • Baked Goods
      • Breakfast
      • Condiments
      • Dessert
      • Fermented Foods
      • Main Dishes
      • Side Dishes
      • Snacks
      • Soup
    • Keto
    • Vegan
  • Relationships
    • Dating
    • Friendship
    • Parenting
    • Pregnancy & Birth
  • About
  • Contact
  • Write For Us

Nerdy Millennial

Nerdy Millennial

  • Career
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Blogging
      • Social Media
      • SEO and Keyword Research
  • College
  • Arts & Culture
  • Technology
  • Health and Fitness
    • Nutrition
    • Recipes
      • Baked Goods
      • Breakfast
      • Condiments
      • Dessert
      • Fermented Foods
      • Main Dishes
      • Side Dishes
      • Snacks
      • Soup
    • Keto
    • Vegan
  • Relationships
    • Dating
    • Friendship
    • Parenting
    • Pregnancy & Birth
At HomeGardening
Home›At Home›Herbs For Wildlife – Wild Bergamot

Herbs For Wildlife – Wild Bergamot

By Pamela Kimsey
July 14, 2011
1231
1

The crowning glory in the garden is the wildlife within

Wild Bergamot is one of those Native Herbs that attracts Bees, Butterflies, and Hummingbirds. It has been my goal to fill the garden with natives to create a natural habitat and add more diversity.

We shouldn't be shy about including herbs in our gardens. Many offer fantastic blooms and are beneficial for many reasons for the health of an organic garden.

Wild Bergamot (Monarda Fistulosa) also goes by the names Bee Balm, Oswego Tea, and Horse Mint. It is pink in color and sometimes almost looks a bit lavender as you can see from the ones in my garden.

As well as the wildlife Bee Balm attracts, it also assists me as a companion plant for my heirloom tomatoes. The herb seems to enhance the tomatoes growth and I plant them directly in the raised beds together.

I suspect the blooms may also be attracting the tiny little Tachinid Flies that assist me by laying its eggs in the Tomato Hornworms. The Hornworm will munch down a tomato plant real quick and causes a loss in foliage and fruit.  I appreciate the Tachinids help in saving me the trouble of having to hand pick them off my tomatoes.

Wild Bergamot and tomatoes really make the perfect pair as they seem to enjoy the same soil, light and water conditions together. Keep them in well-draining soil that retains water down deep where the roots will stretch to reach the moisture. You will always have success when you pair your plants with others that have the same requirements.

Wild Bergamot is really a fun herb with an age-old history that reaches back to the Native Americans Indians. I always say if you want to learn about how to use an herb, study the Indians. They really perfected a whole host of ways to use herbs, whether for medicine or food.

The Pueblo and Zuni tribes called it Sonoran and used the leaves dried to give food a peppery oregano flavor.  I like to mince the leaves fresh and add them to pasta salads and french bread.

The flower petals and the leaves were used by the Native Americans to make a tea for medicinal purposes to help treat colds, fevers, and nausea. The tea really tastes very similar to Earl Grey Tea with a slightly spicy mint flavor.

The other variety of Bergamot is the (Monarda didyma) and they have scarlet red blooms that have a citrus orange flavor. The Monarda didyma is the true Oswego Indian Tea that became the tea of choice during the Revolutionary War as the colonists protested during the Boston Tea Party events. Both varieties have great flavor and attract an endless amount of wildlife throughout the summer.

I look forward to the Hummingbirds migration as they begin to head back south later this summer and will be sure not to harvest all the blooms for tea. I'm sure they will be hungry and I want them to visit my garden for my grandchildren to see.

What more could you ask of Wild Bergamot that offers so much for everyone? I think every garden should have some. Bergamot is very easy to propagate in the fall by simply dividing it up. Its been a very faithful perennial that comes back every spring.

Even though our winters are usually mild in Southeast Texas and the plants will still retain some green foliage during the cooler months, I like to cut it back in late fall. This will make a fuller and bushier plant in the spring. So grow some herbs for wildlife and some for you too. Happy Gardening!

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Pamela Kimsey
Pamela Kimsey
Pammy is a organic gardener in Southeast Texas who believes diversity with natural habitats is the key to a successful garden. With a background as a commercial grower and manager for a large wholesale nursery, she became quickly dismayed with the over use of chemicals and the effects they have on life and the environment.
Pamela Kimsey
Latest posts by Pamela Kimsey (see all)
  • Wild Dagga Motherwort Medicinal Herb - November 11, 2013
  • Grow The Best Organic Lettuce - November 4, 2013
  • Spiced Applesauce Honey Nut Bread Recipe - October 27, 2013

No related posts.

TagsBergamot Teacompanion plantCooking with BergamotGrowing Wild Bergamotherbsherbs for wildlifeMedicinal Uses BergamotNative Americans BergamotNative Herbsorganic gardenOswego Tea BergamotTomatoes Companion BergamotWild Bergamot

1 comment

  1. Herbal Wildcrafting Hummingbird Bread | Natural Family Today 19 July, 2012 at 06:00 Log in to Reply

    […] more about this herbs history and how to grow it, read a previous article I’ve written called “Herbs For Wildlife – Wild Bergamot” Wild Bergamot with organic dried cranberries, pomegranates and […]

Leave a reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

You Might Also Like...

  • 4 Tips for Women in Recovery from Powerful Female Leaders
    CareerFeatured

    4 Tips for Women in Recovery from Powerful Female Leaders

  • How to Make a Virtual Play Therapy Room with Google Slides
    FeaturedMental Health

    How to Make a Virtual Play Therapy Room with Google Slides

  • A Guide to Creating Your Instagram Strategy
    FeaturedSocial Media

    A Guide to Creating Your Instagram Strategy

  • How Men Fall in Love
    DatingFeaturedRelationships

    How Men Fall In Love: 6 Stages Men Go Through In Love

About Nerdy Millennial

This blog all about millennials sharing their passion, ideas, and expertise about blogging, healthy living, self-improvement, education, parenting, and more!

Interested in contributing? Contact us to pitch your idea or submit an article.

Featured Posts

DatingFeatured

5 Essential Characteristics of a Gentleman for the Modern Dating Scene

A successful gentleman in the modern dating scene brings more to the table than just good looks and a nice car. Although these certainly don't hurt, other essential characteristics make ...
  • The Ultimate Guide to Travel Photography

    The Ultimate Guide to Travel Photography

    By Contributing Author
    August 26, 2022
  • 6 Steps to Make Money with Teespring in 2022

    How to Make Money on Teespring in 2022

    By Ian Walsh
    August 26, 2022
  • Easy Protein Iced Mocha Coffee

    Easy Protein Iced Mocha Coffee

    By Contributing Author
    August 7, 2022
  • 6 Best Spiritual Books of 2022

    6 Best Spiritual Books of 2022

    By Contributing Author
    August 6, 2022
  • The Complete Guide to Throwing an Unforgettable Party

    The Complete Guide to Throwing an Unforgettable Party

    By Contributing Author
    July 26, 2022
  • 4 Ways You Can Manage Your Mental Health

    4 Ways You Can Manage Your Mental Health

    By Contributing Author
    July 23, 2022
  • 7 Tips for Hitting Your Goals

    7 Tips for Hitting Your Goals

    By Contributing Author
    June 10, 2022
  • Developing a Present Moment Connection with Your Baby In Utero

    Developing a Present Moment Connection with Your Baby In Utero

    By Contributing Author
    June 5, 2022
  • The 5 Benefits Of Fishing From A Kayak

    The 5 Benefits Of Fishing From A Kayak

    By Contributing Author
    April 25, 2022

Join Us on Facebook

Search

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Write For Us
  • Comment Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
Manage Cookie Consent
We use cookies to optimize our website and our service.
Functional cookies Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}