Mint

Sun

Full sun to partial shade; afternoon shade helps in hot climates.

Water

Keep the soil evenly moist but not waterlogged. Containers need frequent checks in warm, windy weather.

Soil

Moisture-retentive, fertile soil with good drainage; tolerates clay and a broad range of soil pH.

Height

1-3 ft (0.3-0.9 m)

Spread

1.5-3 ft (0.45-0.9 m) initially; runners can spread much farther if not contained.

Flowers

Summer to early autumn; small pale lilac, pinkish or nearly white flowers in slender terminal spikes.

Foliage

Bright to mid-green, toothed, pointed leaves in opposite pairs on square stems; strongly spearmint-scented when crushed.

Growth

Fast

Care needed

Medium

• Grow in a separate pot with drainage holes, preferably on paving; runners can escape through holes into soil.
• Water when the surface begins to dry, soaking the root ball thoroughly and allowing excess water to drain.
• Top-dress with compost in spring; feed container plants lightly if growth becomes pale or weak.
• Divide and repot congested plants every one to two years, keeping vigorous young outer sections.
• In cold regions, protect containers from repeated freezing and thawing by moving them to a sheltered spot or insulating the pot.

Pruning. Pinch out shoot tips and harvest regularly from spring through summer to encourage bushy growth. Cut tired or flowering stems back to just above healthy lower growth, and remove dead stems after the top growth dies down.

Early spring

Remove dead stems, divide crowded clumps and refresh container compost.

Spring

Plant new mint in its own container and begin harvesting once shoots are well established.

Early summer

Pinch out tips for bushier growth and check surrounding soil for escaped runners.

Summer

Water pots regularly, harvest leafy shoots and leave some flowers for insects if desired.

Early autumn

Take a final main harvest while leaves remain healthy; remove badly diseased foliage.

Late autumn

Clear dead top growth and shelter or insulate pots where winters are severe.

• Place a separate pot beside the kitchen door for convenient harvesting.
• Use matching containers in a potager or herb parterre to keep its runners away from neighbouring herbs.
• Set a pot beside a seating area or path where brushed leaves release their scent.
• Include contained plants near a pollinator border, allowing some stems to flower.

Garden styles it suits: Cottage garden, Potager (kitchen garden), Herb parterre, Edible landscape, Sensory garden and Pollinator garden.

Plant it with: Chives, Parsley, Coriander, Calendula, Nasturtium and Lettuce.

Wildlife: Flowers provide nectar for bees, hoverflies and other pollinating insects. Regular harvesting prevents much flowering, so leave a few stems uncut if you want to support them.

• Escaping runners: keep the pot off bare soil, inspect drainage holes and pull out escaped growth with all attached runners.
• Mint rust: orange or brown pustules develop beneath leaves; remove affected growth, clear fallen leaves and improve airflow. Discard heavily infected plants rather than dividing them.
• Powdery mildew: cut back affected shoots, thin crowded growth and avoid letting roots dry out.
• Aphids: wash colonies from shoot tips with water or pinch off heavily infested tips.

Spearmint leaves are not known to be toxic to people in normal culinary amounts. Mint contains essential oils that can cause vomiting or diarrhoea in cats and dogs, especially if substantial amounts are eaten; it is also considered toxic to horses. Leaves and stems contain these oils, and concentrated mint oil presents a greater risk than casual contact with the plant.

Where it spreads. Spreads aggressively by underground runners in suitable garden conditions throughout the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, and is naturalised in parts of all four countries. It can crowd out smaller plants, especially in moist ground; formal invasive status varies locally.

• Peppermint (Mentha × piperita)

  Usually has darker leaves, often purple-tinged stems and a sharper, cooling menthol scent. Spearmint has a sweeter scent and typically greener stems.

• Apple mint (Mentha suaveolens)

  Has rounder, conspicuously soft and hairy leaves, often with a grey-green appearance; spearmint leaves are more pointed and generally less hairy.

• Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis)

  Has broader, more heart-shaped, wrinkled leaves with a lemon scent, and flowers in small clusters at leaf joints rather than terminal mint spikes.

The species name spicata means spike-bearing, referring to the flower spikes, while spearmint refers to the pointed, spear-shaped leaves.

Propagation. Divide rooted clumps in spring or autumn, or root healthy stem cuttings during the growing season. Divisions and cuttings preserve the parent's flavour more reliably than seed; mints cross readily.

Accepted botanical name

Mentha spicata

In the US and Canada

Introduced in Alaska, Canada, Hawaii and the lower 48 states.

Native range

Afghanistan, Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, China South-Central, China Southeast, Cyprus, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, East Aegean Is. and Egypt.

Measured

Soil pH 6.5 to 7. Average height 60 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.