Family: Lamiaceae
Origin: Mediterranean; Asia
Description: Square stems, opposite leaves, and fibrous roots with runners (stolen)
Inflorescence of spikes of tiny purple, pink, or white flowers (loved by bees)and leaves
are highly aromatic.
Cultivation: Prefer rich, moist soil and full to partial sun.
Part used: leaves
Eighteen to 19 different species and hundreds of hybrids from those 19 original species.
Most popular are Spearmint (Menthaspicata)and Peppermint (M. piperita).
Note: Mints do not come true to original plant with seeds. Cuttings or division
Is the only way to propagate mints.
Mints spread rapidly so need to be grown in containers or a confined area of the garden.
They need to be root-pruned annually when grown in containers.
Steps in root pruning mints:
Step 1: Trim back by ½ its height to maintain its shape and encourage full growth.
After bloom and straggly stems, cut to 1 inch.
Step 2: If roots have circled the pot, be sure to cut through ALL roots with a large
serrated knife. With each cut, a new plant will form yielding a dense and full
container of new mint stems and leaves. Cross-hatch with the knife to cut the
roots.
Step 3: Fertilize lightly (too much fertilizer will yield lush growth with minimal flavor in
the leaves). A balanced fertilizer like 10-10-10 granular works fine.
Step 4. Add soil as needed to refresh pot taking into consideration the settling of soil
during the year.
Step 5. Mulch (I use good hardwood mulch) being careful to keep mulch away from
stems.
Sara Holland – Pioneer Unit
