Bergamot

Monarda Croftway Pink

• Position: full sun or partial shade
• Soil: fertile, moist, well-drained soil
• Rate of growth: average
• Flowering period: July to September
• Flower colour: rose pink
• Other features: fresh or dried leaves make a delicious tea
• Hardiness: fully hardy
  
  Whorls of rose pink flowers with pink tinged bracts from July to September and aromatic, mid-green leaves. This pretty, rose pink bergamot is an ideal, long flowering plant for the middle of the border. Highly attractive to bees, it looks lovely planted in drifts, as a backdrop to a sea of hardy, semi-evergreen geraniums.
  
  
• Garden care: Lift and divide large clumps in early April. Resist cutting bergamot back in autumn since the stiff, vertical stems look good all winter. These plants are very susceptible to powdery mildew, and while this rarely causes long term damage it can look unsightly towards the end of the summer. You can help reduce this by applying a 5-7cm (2-3in) mulch of well-rotted organic matter around each plant in spring and autumn.