Mints are one the most popular herb families on earth.
Learn moretypes of mint plants.
There are about 25 mint species originating in Eurasia, North America, southern Africa and Australia.
Many have now naturalized in numerous other locations across the globe.
Mint and mankind have long been known to each other.
Growing mint plants is remarkably easy.
Mint has remarkable adaptability to various growing conditions.
As long as the runners are contained, youll be in good shape.
The aggressive part of growing mint plants happen just under the surface of the soil.
These are the runners.
The pot will act as a barrier to mint just growing wild over your whole garden.
All are herbaceous and all are perennial.
Soil: average soil, and well-drained.
Moisture: moderate to wet soil.
The mint plant likes consistent moisture.
My folks grew it where we coiled the garden hose.
It was a win-win.
CULTIVATION
Mint likes to grow in a sunny to semi-shaded spot with ample moisture.
Grow it in a container to keep it in check.
Prune your mint back when it becomes woody.
Continual harvesting and regular watering are key, along with regular applications of fish emulsion and liquid seaweed.
VARIETIES
Whether you want contrast and pop or subtlety and texture, there are mints for you.
For unusually fine grained texture, you cant beat the teeny, tiny rounded leaves of the Corsican mint.
These are some of the more popular and commonly found mints by no means an exhaustive list.
Apple/Pineapple mint (Mentha suaveolens)
Flavor: Minty with undertones of apple and pineapple.
Lovely for apple mint jelly.
To 50cm and spreading.
Foliage quite woolly and leaves a rounded shape and either plain green or variegated.
Banana mint, Mentha arvensis Banana
Flavor: Minty with very strong undertones of banana.
To 40cm and spreading.
Foliage downy and bright lime-green.
Growth a little less vigorous than others in Mentha genus.
Basil mint, Mentha x piperita citrata
Flavor: Sweet and spicy with aromas of Italian cuisine.
Chocolate mint, Mentha x piperita citrata Chocolate
Flavor: Peppermint with chocolate undertones.
60cm high 60cm wide.
Dark-green leaves with dark-red/purple stems.
Corsican mint, Mentha requienii.
One of the smallest, only 13cm high.
Tiny round leaves that grow flat like dense carpet.
Will tolerate light foot traffic.
Eau de Cologne, Mentha citrata
Flavor: Lemon perfume/aroma thats quite sharp.
4560cm, spread 1m.
Green leaves tinged with purple.
Original source for eau de cologne fragrance and still one of the most fragrant mints.
Egyptian mint, Mentha niliaca
Flavor: Mild peppermint, similar to apple mint.
Rare, with long, pointed, serrated leaves covered in fine silvery hairs, giving a silvery appearance.
An ancient mint, used since the Pharaohs.
Often thought to be referred to in the bible.
Ginger mint, Mentha spicata species
Flavor: Spearmint with undertones of ginger.
60cm high 40cm wide.
Leaves serrated, heartshaped and stems reddish.
A true double mint because has both active constituents, carvone and menthol.
Hung Cay mint, Mentha x gracilis
Flavor: Spicy, zesty Vietnamese mint flavor.
4060cm high 30cm wide.
One of the many Mentha x gracilis hybrids.
Often confusingly named Mentha javanica.
Note: this is not Vietnamese mint, Persicaria odorata.
Japanese Menthol mint, Mentha arvensis var piperascens
Flavor: Strong menthol with peppermint undertones.60cm high 1m wide.
Leaves long, thin and downy grey-green.
Naturally grows in wet grasslands near rivers and lakes.
Moroccan Mint, Mentha spicata var.
Old-Fashioned Garden mint, Mojito Mint, Mentha x villosa
Flavor: True strong mintTo 30cm, spreading.
The common old-fashioned mint most people grow in backyards.
Pennyroyal, Mentha pulegium
Flavor: Not to be consumed even in tiny amounts, especially by pregnant women.
Known to cause miscarriage, liver and kidney damage, organ failure and even death.
To 15cm, spreading ground-cover.
Small glossy green leaves.Tiny mauve flowers.
Traditionally used to repel fleas.
Has toxic properties due to the active constituent pule-gone.
Peppermint, Mentha x piperita
Flavor: Spicy sharp taste, almost hot but cooling at the same time.
Foliage dark green, stems reddish.
True peppermint, sterile hybrid thats a cross between Mentha aquatica and Mentha spicata.
Used for both culinary and medicinal purposes.
Spearmint, Mentha spicata
Flavor: True spearmint.5090cm high, spreading.
Bright-green, foliage spear-shaped and serrated, highly aromatic.
Pink or white flowers.
As a true species, responsible for many other cultivars.
Vietnamese mint, Persicaria odorata
Flavor: Peppery hot taste some think is similar to coriander.
30-50cm high, creeping herbaceous perennial.
Aromatic leaves elongated and green with reddish-brown markings.
Flowers small and pink.
Used extensively in Asian cuisine.
Not a true mint but included due to popularity.
Weed potential in some areas.
White peppermint, Mentha piperita officinalis
Flavor: Milder peppermint.
Paler green and lacks reddish stems.
River mint, Mentha australis
Flavor: Minty spearmint.70cm high 1m wide.
A popular bush tucker herb used in culinary dishes as well as teas, fragrant oils and more.
White or mauve flowers.
Slender mint, Mentha diemenica (means of Tasmania)
Flavor: Soft minty flavorTo 15cm.
Dense ground-cover with small rounded leaves.
Occurs naturally in Tasmania and southern Victoria.
Plant between stepping stones and pavers to release minty scent.
Pest control
1.
May even cause defoliation.
To prevent, ensure mint is receiving enough sunlight and give regular applications of seaweed.
Mildew
Fungal issue appearing as grey mould on foliage and stems.
Prevent with ample light and regular applications of seaweed.
Grasshoppers
Chewed foliage.Pyrethrum can be effective if applied directly to insect.
Prevent by covering plant completely with fine mosquito netting.
Bacillus thuringiensis organic spray or pyrethrum only as last resort.
Or be prepared to share as caterpillars become butterflies ormoths.
Seed can be unreliable.
You may not end up with the same plant due to cross-pollination.
CULINARY USES
In the kitchen, mint crosses over from savory to sweet with ease.
Mix up mint sauce for a lamb roast or take it straight to dessert as peppermint ice-cream.
Mint can be used fresh, dried and cooked.
Popular drinks such as mint julep, mojitos and the liqueur creme de menthe make refreshing alcoholic beverages.
One ground cover mint, known as pennyroyal and not looking as minty as other mints, is POISONOUS.
Do NOT put pennyroyal in your herb garden.
Its thought to have a calming effect, alleviate nausea and improve metabolism and digestive issues.
