The Main Plant entry for Mints (Mentha)

This database entry exists to show plant data and photos that apply generically to all Mints.

General Plant Information (Edit)
Plant Habit: Herb/Forb
Sun Requirements: Full Sun to Partial Shade
Leaves: Unusual foliage color
Fragrant
Flowers: Showy
Fragrant
Uses: Groundcover
Culinary Herb
Medicinal Herb
Dried Flower
Will Naturalize
Suitable as Annual
Wildlife Attractant: Bees
Butterflies
Propagation: Seeds: Other info: Some mints can be propagated by seed. Growth from seed can be unreliable for two reasons: mint seeds are highly variable and some varieties are sterile.
Propagation: Other methods: Division
Stolons and runners
Containers: Suitable in 3 gallon or larger

Image
Common names
  • Mint

Photo Gallery
Location: Zone 5
Date: 2016-07-06
Location: central Illinois
Date: 2011-08-14
Hairstreak in mint
Location: central Illinois
Date: 2010-09-08
spearmint

Date: 2021-05-06
Location: central Illinois
Date: 2010-09-07
Pearl Crescents in mint
Location: central Illinois
Date: 8-28-19
Location: central Illinois
Date: 2010-09-08
Cabbage Whites in mint
Location: central Illinois
Date: 2010-09-08
Buckeyes in mint
Location: Western Kentucky
Date: 2012-05-24

Date: 2012-06-04
[...unkown mint from Seasalter, U.K.]
Location: Jacksonville, TX
Date: 2013-08-16
Location: Jacksonville, TX
Date: 2013-08-16
Location: Jacksonville, TX
Date: 2013-08-16

Date: 2012-07-06
[...my favourite mint plant's stem.]
Location: central Illinois
Date: 2011-08-14
This plant is tagged in:
Image Image

Comments:
  • Posted by SongofJoy (Clarksville, TN - Zone 6b) on Feb 24, 2012 8:49 AM concerning plant:
    Harvesting of mint leaves can be done any time. Fresh mint leaves can be stored up to a couple of days in plastic bags in the refrigerator. Fresh mint leaves can also be frozen in ice cube trays. Dried mint leaves should be stored in an airtight container placed in a cool, dark, dry area.

    Mints are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Buff Ermine.

    Mints are said to make good companion plants, repelling pest insects and attracting beneficial ones. Mint oil is also used as an environmentally-friendly insecticide and is reported to kill some common pests like wasps, hornets, ants, and cockroaches.

    Mints are susceptible to whitefly and aphids.


  • Posted by Fieldsof_flowers (South Dakota - Zone 5a) on Jun 29, 2022 8:51 AM concerning plant:
    A little difficult and slow going to grow from seed, but very hardy once established!
  • Posted by Marilyn (Kentucky - Zone 6a) on May 20, 2013 9:38 PM concerning plant:
    "Mints are aromatic, almost exclusively perennial, rarely annual, herbs. They have wide-spreading underground and overground stolons and erect, square, branched stems. The leaves are arranged in opposite pairs, from oblong to lanceolate, often downy, and with a serrate margin. Leaf colors range from dark green and gray-green to purple, blue, and sometimes pale yellow. The flowers are white to purple and produced in false whorls called verticillasters. The corolla is two-lipped with four subequal lobes, the upper lobe usually the largest. The fruit is a small, dry capsule containing one to four seeds.

    All mints prefer, and thrive in, cool, moist spots in partial shade. In general, mints tolerate a wide range of conditions, and can also be grown in full sun.

    They are fast growing, extending their reach along surfaces through a network of runners. Due to their speedy growth, one plant of each desired mint, along with a little care, will provide more than enough mint for home use. Some mint species are more invasive than others. Even with the less invasive mints, care should be taken when mixing any mint with any other plants, lest the mint take over. To control mints in an open environment, mints should be planted in deep, bottomless containers sunk in the ground, or planted above ground in tubs and barrels.

    The most common and popular mints for cultivation are peppermint (Mentha × piperita), spearmint (Mentha spicata), and (more recently) apple mint (Mentha suaveolens).

    Mints are supposed to make good companion plants, repelling pest insects and attracting beneficial ones. Mints are susceptible to whitefly and aphids."

    Taken from wikipedia's page at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

Plant Events from our members
lovesblooms On March 1, 2020 Seeds sown
labelled "spicy mint"; winter sow
lovesblooms On February 24, 2018 Seeds sown
winter sown; labeled "Spicy Mint" from trade
lovesblooms On January 28, 2017 Seeds sown
w/s; labeled "Spicy Mint" from trade
piksihk On August 12, 2018 Cuttings stuck
WG square bed
Retro67 On January 30, 2024 Potted up
As of this date I have 3 mint plants in containers that I will plant out in spring. The remaining seeds will be direct sewn second week of June.
» Post your own event for this plant

« Add a new plant to the database

« The Plants Database Front Page