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Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Oswego tea

Here's a splash of red from the garden - Monarda 'Jacob Cline,' otherwise known as Oswego tea, bergamot, horsemint or, most commonly, bee balm. Grows like a weed. My bee balm patch - mostly a plummy purple - is more than five years old, now huge and in need of division. As if I didn't have enough of the stuff, a couple years ago I bought 'Jacob Cline' in hopes of attracting more hummingbirds. This year, Jacob found his legs. I love its shaggy mien and bright scarlet tubes. It blooms earlier, is taller and more vigorous, and is supposed to be more resistant to powdery mildew and rust than other varieties. Usually those problems don't show up till later in the summer, but it's been such a wet spring, signs of trouble are already there on the lavendar stalks. The name Oswego tea comes from John Bartram, who discovered settlers near Oswego, N.Y., brewing tea with this plant. Supposedly, Earl Grey tea still includes it in the mix and the flowers are edible. I know bees agree. Experts recommend deadheading for a second bloom. Meanwhile, we look forward to hummingbirds.    
Posted by virginia smith @ 11:22 AM  Permalink | 1 comment
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  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:18 AM, 07/09/2009
    G'day Virginia, I'm told by the University of Kentucky extension service that this plant is now becoming rare in the wild. As a furriner I asked them to identify the single plant that popped up and flowered in the garden of the really old house we bought just a couple of weeks ago, so I'll save its seeds. Just as an aside, the bergamot used to flavour Earl Grey tea is no relation. It's actually a Mediterranean citrus species.
    — Frank P


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About Virginia A. Smith
Ginny Smith, a Philadelphia native, worked as a reporter at newspapers in New York, Connecticut and Ohio – with six short months at the end of the Bulletin tossed in – before returning to Philadelphia in 1985 to join the Inquirer. Her favorite beats here have included Center City, roving around Pennsylvania (and getting paid for it!) and alternative medicine. She’s also been City Editor and Pennsylvania Editor. Ginny has been happily writing – and learning - about gardening fulltime since 2006. She’s won two silver medals of achievement from the national Garden Writers Association and in 2011, Bartram’s Garden honored her with its Green Exemplar award for her stories about “the region’s deeply rooted horticultural history, cultural attractions and bountiful gardens.”
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