Peter Dowdall: All you need to know about growing bergamot

Bergamot (botanical name monarda) or bee balm is easy to grow once given the right conditions

A hummingbird in flight feeding on bee balm or monarda. The herb that we all know as bergamot has the botanical name monarda and is native to North America. File pictures 

The Native Americans knew a thing or two and we would do well not to learn from those who went before us. They grew bergamot, not for its aesthetic appeal as we do now in our gardens but for the plant’s many medicinal uses, including as an antiseptic for skin infections and minor cuts and abrasions.

Some drank it as a tea to cure headaches and to treat a range of ailments from colds to digestive issues. This explains one of the popular names for the plant, Oswego tea, after the Oswego Native Americans.