Bergamot

Bergamot is the fragrant citrus Citrus bergamia, a small evergreen tree in the sour orange group, grown chiefly in Calabria, Italy for the peel oil that flavors Earl Grey tea and scents perfume. It has large lemon-like leaves, fragrant white spring flowers, and round to pear-shaped fruit that ripens from green to yellow over sharply acidic, bitter flesh. Grow it in full sun in well-drained soil with regular water. It is hardy in USDA zones 9 to 11 and wants mild, frost-free winters, so gardeners in north Florida and colder areas should keep it in a pot that moves indoors. Trees are thornless and hold at about 12 to 16 feet with pruning. Fruit colors up from late fall into winter, and the sour flesh goes into marmalade rather than fresh eating. Buy grafted plants, since seed does not come true.