Description
(Citrus bergamia)
Bergamot trees are quite a vigorous growing tree and both the leaves and fruit are highly fragrant which makes pruning a rather nice experience. Over their lifetime, they can grow from 3 – 5m tall in good conditions and make an excellent addition to the garden if you’ve got space for something interesting.
While it’s often referred to as a Bergamot Orange, it’s not actually an orange, but a unique citrus of its own. It does look a little like an orange, but it’s much more squat and has a notable stylar at the blossom end of the fruit. The start green and ripen to a bright yellow.
The fruit’s flesh is bitter and acidic, so it’s not pleasant to eat straight from the tree, though it can provide a decent amount of juice. It’s actually the oil from the skin that’s quite prized. It’s used in a range of industries from culinary, to perfume. And of course, the oil is also used to flavour Earl Grey tea, a beloved classic cuppa.
The bergamot strain we graft and grow is the ‘Castagnaro’, which sees its origins in Southern Italy where it’s incredibly popular and culturally significant.
For our citrus care recommendations, please check our Help & Advice page!
