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Wild bergamot

Wild bergamot

Monarda fistulosa
A widespread native perennial in the mint family with showy lavender flower heads through summer, distinctly more drought-tolerant than its cousin scarlet bee balm (Monarda didyma). Supports ruby-throated hummingbirds, hummingbird clearwing moths, three documented specialist bees, and provides stem-nesting bee shelter through winter.
Native: 45 US states + 9 CA provinces
Climate fit: broad (94/100)
Pollinator
Border
Filler
Light
Full sun / Part sun
Water
Moderate water
Mature size
24-48" tall · 18" apart
Hardy in zones
3a-9b
brutally cold to frosty winters
AHS heat range
1-11
Plant range authored in AHS heat-zone terms.
Native in Illinois
Yes

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Native across 54 US states and Canadian provinces — a wide-ranging part of North America's plant communities.

Cold hardiness

These values are location-based: this location's current hardiness is the baseline, and the 2050 value is a projected future climate for this same location.
Now
Zone 6b
Plotwright
USDA Zone 6b
-5°F to 0°F
Well-suited
Zone 7a
Plotwright
0°F to 5°F
Well-suited
In plain terms: This location has cold winters. Its winters are projected to keep warming through 2050.
Well-suited today and still thriving in 2050.

Heat tolerance

Heat tolerance values are location-based too: heat days today are observed at this site, and the 2050 value projects this same location under a future climate.
Loading AHS heat-zone data for this location...

Similar plants

Browse lateral options with similar roles, light needs, size, or native-range overlap; these are not filtered for a better climate fit.
Rudbeckia fulgida
Black-eyed Susan
A tough, bright perennial for sunny borders, pollinator patches, and late-summer color.
Perennial
Full sun / Part sun
Moderate water
Zones 3-9
Climate: broad
Pollinator
Filler
Border
Penstemon eatonii
Firecracker penstemon
A dry-country wildflower of the Intermountain West whose narrow, scarlet, tubular flowers line a slender stalk that rises about 3 feet above a low rosette of glaucous blue-green leaves. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center documents it blooming red from May into August on dry, gravelly soils, and it is one of the classic hummingbird-pollinated penstemons. Deeply drought-tolerant once established — best on lean, well-drained ground where it is not over-watered.
Perennial
Full sun / Part sun / Part shade
Low water
Zones 3a-7b
Climate: moderate
Pollinator
Filler
Border
Phlox paniculata
Garden phlox
A native upright perennial with fragrant midsummer flower panicles in pink, white, lavender, or red — a classic border anchor and hummingbird-friendly choice for sunny beds.
Perennial
Full sun / Part sun
Consistent moisture
Zones 4a-8b
Climate: moderate
Pollinator
Border
Filler
Echinacea purpurea
Purple coneflower
A drought-tolerant native perennial of the central and eastern United States with long summer bloom, strong pollinator value, and winter seedheads for birds.
Perennial
Full sun / Part sun
Moderate water
Zones 3a-8b
Climate: broad
Pollinator
Filler
Border
Monarda didyma
Scarlet bee balm
A fragrant native perennial with red summer flowers that draw hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies.
Perennial
Full sun / Part sun
Consistent moisture
Zones 4-9
Climate: broad
Pollinator
Filler
Border
Pycnanthemum muticum
Short-toothed mountain mint
A clump-forming aromatic native perennial of eastern North America, grown as much for its silvery floral bracts as its bloom — the upper leaves below each flower head turn a frosted, dusty-mint color in summer. Dense flat-topped clusters of tiny two-lipped pinkish-white flowers cover the plant from mid to late summer and are a magnet for bees and butterflies. Unlike the true mints (Mentha), it spreads only modestly by rhizome and is not invasive.
Perennial
Full sun / Part sun / Part shade
Consistent moisture
Zones 4a-8b
Climate: broad
Pollinator
Filler
Border

Appears in collections

+4
Collection · 8 plants
Climate-resilient natives for warming zones (eastern NA)
A pollinator-supporting palette of eastern North American natives with broad hardiness ranges and wide native distributions. Built for gardeners who want a planting that can handle warming zones without giving up wildlife value.
Switchgrass
Little bluestem
Common milkweed
Black-eyed Susan
Wild bergamot
Sweet Joe-Pye weed
Cutleaf coneflower
New England aster
+5
Collection · 9 plants
Native pollinator border (eastern US)
A continuous-bloom native pollinator strip for eastern North America. Covers spring through frost with host + nectar plants spanning monarchs, native bees, hummingbirds, and specialist Lepidoptera. Little bluestem provides the matrix grass + Hesperiidae host.
Butterfly weed
Common milkweed
Purple coneflower
Wild bergamot
Scarlet bee balm
Little bluestem
Sweet Joe-Pye weed
Swamp sunflower
Smooth blue aster

Sources & citations

Cite this page
For lesson plans, articles, or research that uses this page. To cite a single upstream fact instead, use its specific source listed below.
Plotwright. (2026, May 17). Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa). Retrieved 2026, June 24, from https://plotwright.com/plants/monarda-fistulosa
Sources for every fact
Every fact on this page traces to a source. 18 fields cited - 18 source-backed.
NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
University extension service
Backs 17 fields
Identity
Summary
Plant type
Light
Moisture
Hardiness
Heat zone
Size
Spacing
Habit
Design roles
Seasonal interest
Growth stages
Lifecycle
Regional guidance
Success tips
Designer notes
Wikimedia Commons
Photo · CC BY-SA 4.0
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