Wild Bergamot is a reliable, sun-loving perennial native to the Central Appalachians and Western Maryland. It forms upright clumps (2–4 ft) with square stems and aromatic, mint-scented foliage. In midsummer, it produces soft lavender flower heads that attract hummingbirds, butterflies, bumblebees, and a wide range of native pollinators.
This species thrives in full sun to part sun and tolerates clay, rocky soils, and the thin, well-drained ground common across our region’s ridges and field edges. Once established, it is drought-tolerant, long-lived, and spreads gradually by clump expansion.
Wild Bergamot is an excellent choice for meadows, pollinator gardens, dry slopes, and low-maintenance native plantings. It provides consistent summer nectar and adapts well to both garden soils and leaner upland sites.
Light: Full sun to part sun
Soil: Dry to average; clay and rocky soils tolerated
Moisture: Low to medium
Height: 2–4 ft
Bloom: Mid to late summer
Wildlife: Hummingbirds, butterflies, native bees
Growth: Clump-forming perennial; drought-tolerant once established
Wild Bergamot is a reliable, sun-loving perennial native to the Central Appalachians and Western Maryland. It forms upright clumps (2–4 ft) with square stems and aromatic, mint-scented foliage. In midsummer, it produces soft lavender flower heads that attract hummingbirds, butterflies, bumblebees, and a wide range of native pollinators.
This species thrives in full sun to part sun and tolerates clay, rocky soils, and the thin, well-drained ground common across our region’s ridges and field edges. Once established, it is drought-tolerant, long-lived, and spreads gradually by clump expansion.
Wild Bergamot is an excellent choice for meadows, pollinator gardens, dry slopes, and low-maintenance native plantings. It provides consistent summer nectar and adapts well to both garden soils and leaner upland sites.
Light: Full sun to part sun
Soil: Dry to average; clay and rocky soils tolerated
Moisture: Low to medium
Height: 2–4 ft
Bloom: Mid to late summer
Wildlife: Hummingbirds, butterflies, native bees
Growth: Clump-forming perennial; drought-tolerant once established
