type :
Perennials
sun exposure :
Full Sun, Partial Shade
water :
Regular Water
planting zones :
US (Upper South) / Zone 6, MS (Middle South) / Zone 7, LS (Lower South) / Zone 8, CS (Coastal South) / Zone 9
Plant Details
These Mediterranean natives spread rapidly by underground stems and can be quite invasive; to keep them in bounds, grow them in pots or boxes. Tough and unfussy, they grow almost anywhere but perform best in light, moist, medium-rich soil. Not favored by deer. Plants disappear in winter in colder part of range. Replant about every 3 years; propagate by division or runners.
golden apple mint
mentha xgracilis
- Zones MS, LS, CS; USDA 7-9.
- Grows to 2 feet tall.
- Smooth, deep green, 112- to 3 inches-long leaves with yellow variegation have a spicy apple fragrance and flavor.
- Produces inconspicuous flowers.
- Use them for flavoring foods.
- Foliage is excellent in mixed bouquets.
peppermint
mentha xpiperita
- Grows to about 3 feet tall.
- Strongly scented, tooth-edged leaves to 3 inches long, dark green often tinged with purple.
- Small purplish flowers come in 1- to 3 inches spikes.
- Leaves are good for flavoring tea.
mentha xp
- citrata.
- ORANGE MINT, BERGAMOT MINT.
- Grows to about 2 feet high and produces small lavender flowers and broad, 2 inches-long leaves with a slight orange flavor.
- Orange mint is used in potpourris and for flavoring foods.
pennyroyal
mentha pulegium
- Zones MS, LS, CS; USDA 7-9.
- Creeping plant 416 inches high, with inch-wide, bright green, nearly round leaves.
- Small lavender flowers in tight, short whorls.
- Strong mint fragrance and flavor.
- Poisonous if consumed in large quantities but safe as a flavoring.
- Needs a cool, moist site.
corsican mint
mentha requienii
- Creeping, mat-forming mint reaches only 12 inches high.
- Tiny, round, bright green leaves give it a mossy appearance; leaves release a delightful minty or sagelike fragrance when bruised.
- Can be used as an aromatic filler between stepping stones (but won't take heavy foot traffic).
- Bears tiny, tubular, light purple flowers.
spearmint
mentha spicata
- Grows to 13 feet high.
- Dark green, toothed leaves are slightly smaller than those of M.xpiperita.
- Leafy spikes of flowers in pale lilac, pale blue, or white.
- Clip leaves and use them fresh from the garden or dry them and use to add flavor to foods, cold drinks, or jelly.
apple mint
mentha suaveolens
- Zones MS, LS, CS; USDA 7-9.
- Stiff stems reach to 1123 feet tall, bearing rounded, somewhat hairy, gray-green leaves 14 inches long.
- Produces purplish white flowers in 2- to 3 inches spikes.
- Aromatic foliage combines the fragrances of apple and mint.
- Variegata, pineapple mint, has white-marked leaves with a faint pineapple scent.