Poor wild bergamot. These unfortunate flowers look like a 7th grade bad perm: awkward and a little disheveled.
It’s a shame. Wild bergamot – also known as wild beebalm – is an agreeable lavender color and popular with bees and all kinds of other insects. It’s the Miss Congeniality of ditch flowers: everyone agrees it’s super nice but there’s no chance it goes home wearing the beauty queen crown.
But as our moms counseled most of us during our awkward years, a good personality is more important than flashy looks. Thanks for feeding the bees, wild bergamot!
Wild Bergamot, Monardo fistulosa (Wild Beebalm)
Shoot date: July 28, 2019
Possible use as a cut flower: Yes, sort of. Since the blossoms start out looking kinda wonky, they don’t get too much wonkier and keep for several days, which is nice since they seem to bloom outside for a very short period of time – I only saw these in the ditches for a week or so. It makes a nice bouquet paired with Common Ironweed, which blooms around the same time.
