Perennial
Monarda didyma
Family: Labiatae/Lamiaceae

History

A highly scented perennial herb, native to North America, bergamot is found there growing wild in woods, along roadsides and streams.

Also known as bee balm because of its attractiveness to bees. The name bergamot comes from the fact that it has a similar scent to the bergamot orange, a Mediterranean plant.

Native Americans brewed the leaves for Oswego tea.

Uses

Medicinal: Leaves contain antiseptic thymol. Infusion recomended for coughs, sore throats, nausea, flatulence, and menstrual cramps.
Culinary: Young leaves flavour wine, drinks, salad and stuffing. Add fresh flowers and some leaves to salads.
Aromatic: Citrusy fragrance brightens scent of potpourris and sachets.
Cosmetic: Used in baths or lotions, infusions of bergamot stimulate the skin.
Ornamental: Very attractive garden plant. Flower colours range from pink, white, violet, salmon and several shades of red.
Craft: Dried flowers retain their colour well.
Companion planting: Stimulates the growth of tomatoes.

Cultivation

Grows from creeping rootstock; needs plenty of water during hot periods. Prefers light, moist, well-drained position. Morning sun only.
Harvesting & storage: Cut down to 2cm above ground level immediately after flowering.
Strip leaves from stems and dry in a warm, shady place for 2-3 days. A drying period of more than three days may discolour the leaves and produce a less flavoursome tea.

A garden without birds, bees or butterflies is not really a garden — it tells you there are no flowers to attract them to their sweet nectar, and a garden without flowers would certainly be a dull place.

Thyme honey from Mount Hymettus in Greece has been famous for thousands of years and there are other honeys distinctively flavoured by certain flowers — for example, rosemary honey from the south of France and Spain, leatherwood honey from Tasmania and clover honey from Canada.

Most honey, however, is an amalgam of flavours from a mixture of sources, and the flowers of aromatic herbs in particular.

A third group, although producing less nectar, are hardy and reliable, and they include borage (which produce masses of grey-white pollen when it is particularly needed by bees), lavender, lemon balm, oreganum, rosemary and all the basils.

You don’t need your own hives to attract bees to your garden for their valuable job of pollinating your vegetables and fruit, they will travel several kilometres to a good source of nectar — and on a daily basis, except during bad weather. A garden designed specifically to attract bees and butterflies should be planted in full sun as this helps stimulate the production of nectar by the herbs.

Historically, hives were rubbed with lemon balm to attract swarms and the scented oil can be added to the syrup used for introducing queen bees to the hive. Stored with honey, wormwood stems and foliage discourages wax moth, and stroking a swarm of bees with bruised branches will encourage the bees to move on.

Perennial

Lavandula species
Family: Labiatae/Lamiaceae

History

Lavender’s name comes from the Latin ‘to wash’, and both the ancient
Romans and Greeks scented their soap and bath water with the herb.

Uses

Medicinal: The essential oil has spasmolytic, antiseptic and carminative properties. Warm lavender tea applied as a compress aids chest congestion, bruises and bites. Flower tea treats anxiety, headaches, flatulence, nausea, dizziness and halitosis. Lavender is safe but should be used in moderation.
Culinary: Flowers flavour jams, vinegar, sweets, cream, and can be crystalized.
Aromatic: Dried flowers add longlasting fragrance to sachets and potpourris. The aroma is an insect-repellent—an ideal herb for the linen press, wardrobe and jumper drawer.
Ornamental: With many species to choose from, there is a variety to suit and enhance any herb garden or herbaceous border. A good hedge plant.
Cosmetic: Lavender stimulates and cleanses the skin. Add to the bath.
Craft: Fresh or dried, it can be used in wreaths, arrangements, sprays and decorations. Lavender vinegar, for the dressing table not the dining table, is made by adding rose petals, lavender flowers and jasmine flowers to distilled vinegar. Stores well in airtight bottles.
Companion planting: Attracts bees and other pollinators to the garden.

Cultivation

Propagate from cuttings of side shoots in summer. After rooting, plant in well-drained soil in a sunny position. Drought and frost resistant.
Harvesting & storage: Harvest while in flower. Dry in shade in bunches, or on screens in an airy place.