Mint

Plant a patch of cooling, refreshing fragrance by adding mint to your garden. Undemanding and easy to grow, mint boasts a hearty constitution, often growing where other plants fail. Fragrance varies with variety, as does taste. Use mint fresh or dried to season a range of culinary creations including soups, beverages, vegetables, meats, and desserts.

Mint quickly scrambles to cover garden real estate; tuck mint where you don't mind its wandering ways, or corral its rambles by planting it in a raised bed or a pot sunk into soil. Plants readily cross-pollinate; keep your patch pure by planting mixed varieties as far apart as possible. This herb releases scent when you crush or bruise leaves. Place it near garden paths or benches so you can savor the fragrance frequently. All mint varieties thrive in containers.

Light:

Sun,Part Sun

Zones:

3-10

Plant Type:

Perennial,Herb

Plant Height:

1-4 feet tall

Plant Width:

1-4 feet wide

Flower Color:

Flower color varies, but tends toward pastel or lighter shades

Bloom Time:

Flowers begin in midsummer and continue to fall

Landscape Uses:

Containers,Beds & Borders,Slopes,Groundcover

Special Features:

Flowers,Attractive Foliage,Dried Flowers,Attracts Butterflies,Tolerates Wet Soil,Deer Resistant,Easy to Grow

Top Varieties

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Applemint

Mentha suaveolens has a delightful wintergreen flavor and fragrance. The fresh leaves can be used to make apple-mint jelly or a stomach-soothing tea. Like other mints, it can be invasive. Applemint grows 3 feet tall and can spread several feet wide. Zones 5-9
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'Chocolate' mint

Mentha piperita 'Chocolate' is a fast-spreading selection with dark green leaves, purple-tinted stems, and a light chocolate-mint fragrance. It grows 3 feet tall and can spread indefinitely. Zones 4-9
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'Orange' mint

Mentha piperita f. citrata 'Orange', also called bergamot mint, develops bright green leaves lightly tinged with red. The foliage has a lovely citrus fragrance and flavor that makes it a good addition to a wide range of dishes. It grows 3 feet tall and spreads several feet wide. Zones 4-9
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Peppermint

Mentha x piperita packs the strongest mint flavor. It grows 12-30 inches tall and 18 inches wide. Zones 3-8
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Spearmint

Mentha spicata offers a mild flavor that gives the plant versatility in the kitchen. Spearmint can withstand higher soil moisture; tuck it beneath a downspout for a happy mint patch. Zones 4-9
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Variegated pineapple mint

Mentha suaveolens 'Variegata' brightens corners of the garden with its white-edge leaves. This mint has a fruity flavor. It grows 3 feet tall and several feet wide. Zones 5-9
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Garden Plans

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Heirloom Garden Plan

Harvest Tips

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For the most intense flavor, clip topmost mint leaves before flowers form. You can also gather leaves at any point during the growing season. Frequent harvests cause plants to branch and become bushy, so cut growing tips of plants often. Give a boost to steamed vegetables, such as peas, carrots, white or black beans, or eggplant, by adding fresh chopped mint leaves just before serving. Mix fresh leaves from mint and basil to weave a cooling flavor into spicy Thai and Vietnamese dishes. Dry mint leaves and flowers by bundling stems and hanging them upside down in a dark place. When leaves are dry, crumble from stems and store in airtight containers. To preserve mint leaves with bright green color, freeze them in plastic storage bags. Capture the refreshing taste of garden-fresh mint for use in beverages and baked goods by creating a syrup. Boil 2 cups of water and 2 cups of white sugar in a pot until sugar dissolves. Add 2 cups of washed mint leaves; stir and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Allow the mixture to cool; strain syrup and pour it into a glass bottle with a tight-fitting lid. Store syrup in the refrigerator up to one year.

Propagation

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Division
Stem Cuttings