Filed under: Gardening, Flowers
Each week, bring a new bloom into your home and garden with our gardener's favorite floral find.
Wild bergamot at Pier One, Brooklyn Bridge Park. Photo: Marie Viljoen
Go native with this perennial butterfly magnet...
Monarda fistulosa is a member of the mint family, and native to Eastern North America. Its rather lovelier common names are wild bergamot, bee balm, or horsemint, and its strongly scented leaves were traditionally used as an antiseptic tea. The leaves are also edible as a fresh herb or cooked green, but its pale lilac flowers steal the show this month, luring butterflies and other pollinators in midsummer. Full sun is best for producing the most flowers, and it is very hardy, from USDA Zones 3-9.