Peppermint

Sun

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

Water

Keep evenly moist, especially in containers. Water when the surface begins to dry; avoid prolonged drought or stagnant, waterlogged compost.

Soil

Moist, fertile soil with good drainage; tolerates clay if it is not persistently waterlogged.

Height

1-3 ft (0.3-0.9 m)

Spread

2-3 ft (0.6-0.9 m) initially; runners spread indefinitely where unrestricted.

Flowers

Summer to early autumn; small pale lilac to pinkish-purple flowers in terminal spikes.

Foliage

Opposite, toothed, pointed green leaves, often with purple-tinged stems and veins; strongly mint-scented when crushed.

Growth

Fast

Care needed

Medium

• Pollinators
• Deer resistant
• Low allergen
• Fragrant
• Edible

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Easy

Toughness

Very tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   1 ft (0.3 m)

2. After 1 year

   1.5 ft (0.45 m)

3. After 2 years

   2 ft (0.6 m)

   full size

About 2 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Mildly toxic: may upset a stomach

In the garden

Spreads vigorously: plan to contain it.

Growth rate

Fast

• Grow in a separate pot with drainage holes, preferably standing on paving so runners cannot root into nearby soil.
• Water regularly during active growth; container plants may need daily checks in hot weather.
• Top-dress with compost in spring; avoid heavy feeding, which encourages excessive growth.
• Divide congested plants every 2-3 years, replanting healthy outer sections in fresh compost.
• Check drainage holes and surrounding ground regularly for escaping roots and runners.

Pruning. Pinch out shoot tips during spring and summer to encourage bushy growth, and cut stems before flowering for leafy harvests. Cut faded growth back after flowering and remove dead stems in late autumn or early spring.

Pick healthy leaves and tender shoot tips once plants reach 15–20 cm (6–8 in) tall, usually in their first growing season. Harvest from spring to autumn, ideally just before flowering and in the morning after the dew has dried. Snip stems just above a pair of leaves, leaving at least 5 cm (2 in) of leafy growth to regrow.

Early spring

Remove dead stems and check containers for escaping runners.

Spring

Plant or divide established clumps; refresh container compost.

Late spring

Pinch out growing tips and begin harvesting once shoots are well established.

Summer

Keep soil moist and harvest leafy stems before flowering for drying or freezing.

Late summer

Leave some flowers for pollinators, then cut back faded stems to encourage fresh leaves.

Late autumn

Remove dead growth; in cold regions, insulate pots or move them to a sheltered position to protect the roots.

• Place in a separate pot beside the kitchen door for convenient harvesting.
• Use matching containers with chives and parsley in a small potager, keeping each herb separately contained.
• Set a pot beside a path or seating area where the foliage can be touched for scent.
• Use a contained clump near flowering herbs to provide summer nectar without allowing it to overrun the border.

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

Plant it with: Chives, Parsley, Calendula and Violas.

Wildlife: Flowers provide nectar for bees, hoverflies and other insects. Allow some stems to flower if harvesting leaves is not your only aim.

• Mint rust: orange or brown pustules develop beneath leaves. Remove affected shoots promptly; replace severely affected plants with healthy stock in fresh compost and clean containers.
• Powdery mildew: white coating develops on leaves, especially in crowded growth. Thin stems, improve airflow and keep roots evenly moist.
• Aphids: clustered insects distort soft shoot tips. Wash them off with water or pinch out heavily infested tips.
• Aggressive runners: roots and shoots escape into nearby beds. Lift escaping growth with its roots and move the plant to a separate container on paving.

Not known to be toxic to people in normal culinary amounts. Leaves and stems contain essential oils that can cause vomiting or diarrhoea in cats, dogs and horses if enough is eaten; discourage grazing. Concentrated peppermint essential oil is much more hazardous than the plant and can poison pets or people if swallowed inappropriately.

Where it spreads. Spreads aggressively by underground runners in suitable moist gardens across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and temperate Australia. It can escape cultivation and form persistent patches; keep it away from waterways and natural vegetation.

• Spearmint (Mentha spicata)

  Usually has brighter green, more wrinkled leaves and a sweeter mint scent without peppermint's strong cooling, menthol character. Appearance varies, so scent is more useful than stem colour alone.

• Water mint (Mentha aquatica)

  Usually has broader, hairier leaves and rounded terminal flower heads rather than peppermint's elongated flower spikes.

• Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium)

  Has smaller, rounder leaves and flowers in separated rings around the stems rather than terminal spikes. Do not use uncertain plants for tea: pennyroyal, especially its oil, can be seriously poisonous.

The name piperita comes from the Latin for peppery, referring to the pungent taste, while the multiplication sign marks its hybrid origin.

Propagation. Divide rooted runners in spring or autumn, or root stem cuttings during the growing season. Peppermint is a largely sterile hybrid; seed is unreliable and will not reliably produce true peppermint.

Accepted botanical name

Mentha piperita

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