Mint-Leaved Bergamot (Monarda menthifolia)
At a glance
- Lifecycle
- Perennial (hardy)
- Exposure
- Full sun
- Frost limit
- −40 °C
Cultivation
Easily grown in ordinary garden soil so long as it is not too dry. A good bee plant. The Hopi Indians occasionally cultivate this plant as a pot herb.
Propagation
Seed - sow mid to late spring in a cold frame. Germination usually takes place within 10 - 40 days at 20°c. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer. The seed can also be sown in situ in late summer in areas where the winters are not too severe and will produce larger plants. Cuttings of soft basal shoots in spring. Harvest the shoots with plenty of underground stem when they are about 8 - 10cm above the ground. Pot them up into individual pots and keep them in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the summer. Division in spring or autumn. Large divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is better to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a cold frame until they are well established before planting them out in late spring or early summer.
Edible uses
Leaves - used as an aromatic tea.
Medicinal uses
The leaves and flowering stems are anaesthetic, antiseptic and diaphoretic. The plant is a source of the medicinal essential oil 'thymol', which is antiseptic.
Habitat
Medium-dry to moist soils in valleys, prairies and mountains to 2,100 metres.
Native range
N. America - Manitoba to Alberta, south to Arizona and Texas.