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A Revolutionary Tea

© Mel. White

Native to: United States
Used in: teas and as flavoring
Beneficial to: butterflies, bees, hummingbirds

When you think of the great plants that were involved in politics and history, somehow the name beebalm doesn't leap to mind immediately. But this native mint plant was part of a protest movement in the 1770s in America; one of the many forms of resistance that the colonists took to British taxation. Angry at the tax on tea and other items, people stopped drinking the tea brought in by British ships and it became fashionable in some circles to drink other brews for tea time.

One of the most popular of these alternate brews was "Oswego tea," a beverage made from the leaves of the beautiful beebalm plant. The Oswegos, a tribe that lived in what is now New York state, introduced the drink to settlers in the area and it soon spread in popularity as a replacement for expensive British tea - especially so after the Boston Tea Party in 1773. When tea became cheap again, however, beebalm lost its popularity as a drink, though it remained part of the herbalists' gardens. The variety of beebalm known as Wild bergamot is a standard Native American medicine for colds, fevers, and sore throats. It grows wild throughout the North America and adapts easily to being taken home to live in your herb garden.

Beebalm, a member of the mint family, is a delightful addition to any garden. As might be expected, it has all of the characteristics of any mint - hardy, robust, easy to grow, and reproduces easily from seed or by runners. Like all mints it will plot to take over an area if you don't tend it carefully. But these characteristics make it a good choice for a beginning wildscaper's garden and it has the added advantage of being on the Environmental Protection Agency's list of recommended plants.

Its cultivars come in a variety of colors, from white to pink, to crimson, to deep red and a purple that's nearly blue. It can grow to nearly four feet tall, though it looks much better if it's clipped down somewhat. It flowers later in the summer, providing food for bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. If you have a kitchen garden, planting a small cluster of beebalm plants will attract pollinators and ensure a better crop. Weeds aren't a problem with beebalm - there's simply no room for a weed to get a toehold in a patch of these vigorous plants!