The Many Uses of the Bergamot Plant
The bergamot plant is probably best known for its use in Earl Grey tea, but it is also associated with lavender because of its fragrance. This plant was treasured by Native Americans, namely the Oswego Indians. They used it for tea, which has evolved into the aforementioned Earl Grey. Some believed that it smells more like oranges, while many believe it smells more like lavender. They look beautiful when added to any garden, and the bees find them attractive as well.
How is Bergamot Grown?
The bergamot plant is a perennial plant, and it always grows best in damp soil during the summer season. Although it does well in moist soil, it is not up for the winter season. Bergamot is a lover of sun, but again it can adapt very well so long as the soil is moist. After planting your bergamot, maintenance is required to encourage healthy growth. Adding fertilizer and bone meal are good food for this plant, just as it is for roses and other hardy flowering bushes. Even if you don’t have a large garden space or flower bed, you can certainly grow bergamot in a container as well. When doing so, the same rules of caring for your plant would apply so you will need to make sure it gets plenty of sun, and also that it gets the proper nutrients that it needs to survive.
Caring for Your Bergamot Plant
Pruning is always essential to caring for any plant, because it enables you to get rid of dead stems and blooms, as well as encourage new growth in the plant itself. You can take small cuttings in the spring which will allow for you to grow more plants. The cuttings from a bergamot plant will take root very quickly, providing you with gorgeous new plants.
The plants will clump, growing a mat-like surface and if they aren’t divided every three to four years, they will grow bare in the very center of their bloom. When lifting the plant, get rid of any dead blooms and stems as over time they can rot and ruin the potential beauty and new growth of your plant.
The lemon bergamot plant can be started from seeds indoors, in containers, then moved to the outdoors in the late spring season. This is the benefit of using containers, as you can also move them around to give them more ample sunlight if the spot you have chosen isn’t working out. It also allows you to move your plants back indoors if your climate is having large temperature fluctuations. It is best to avoid frost if you can, so be sure to watch the weather and keep an eye on that.
The bergamot plant is a favorite, as its leaves provide use in salads as well as teas and fruit drinks. When making it has a hot tea, you can use one teaspoon of dried leaves, or you can also purchase it in the store in tea bags. Many culinary specialists have also been known to use bergamot leaves in their pork dishes to add a hint of flavor.
Bergamot oil can be extracted as you boil the leaves in water, creating a facial steam, and can also be used to make bags of potpourri or sachets that you can put in your drawers. Either way, bergamot is a long lasting flower whether being grown or cut, and has so many uses that are unknown. The bergamot plant is vital today in holistic diets for aiding in depression and anxiety, so if you have suffered from one of these conditions, drinking the tea on a regular basis may be beneficial for your health.