good deal are one the most pop herb crime syndicate on world . Peppermint , spearmint , apple , chocolate , Egyptian , Moroccan , Corsican , ginger , ananas , banana … it ’s a long tilt and includes around six species that are endemic to Australia . Learn moretypes of spate plants .
The Mentha genus belong to the Lamiaceae family , which includes other popular fragrant herbs such as bergamot orange , catnip , sage , rosemary and St. Basil the Great , plus the ever - democratic flowering salvias .
There are about 25 mint species originating in Eurasia , North America , southern Africa and Australia . Many have now naturalize in numerous other placement across the ball .
good deal and mankind have long been know to each other . There are many scriptural references to strike as well as mention of it throughout the history of the ancient Romans , Greeks , Egyptians and Chinese .
Growing quite a little plants is unco easy . Mint is establish growing all over the world , so the trick becomes not how to grow pot , but how to thwart it .
Mint has singular adaptability to various growing stipulation . It can be found growing thickly ( and chop-chop ) in full sun , however it ’s glad ( and most invasive ) in a nerveless , moist setting with good , bright , filtered wanton . As long as the runner are check , you ’ll be in good anatomy .
The aggressive part of grow mint plants happen just under the Earth’s surface of the soil . These are the “ runners ” . Plant your mint in a pot and then entomb about 2/3 of the pot where you desire your mint plant to grow . The flock will roleplay as a roadblock to coin just spring up wild over your whole garden .
Description
The square - ish stem and slightly hairy leaves of most mints is a trademark of the Lamiaceae menage , make it cousins of such culinary superstars as Basil , Sage , and Catnip .
While there are ground back mints , most rate from 2 to 4 foot tall and volunteer small pinkish - reddish blue flowers . All are herbaceous and all are recurrent . Very perennial .
Light, Soil, and Moisture Requirements
visible radiation : Full sun to full shade , varying by assortment .
Soil : mediocre soil , and well - drained .
Moisture : moderate to wet grunge . The mint plant like consistent moisture .
Gardening Tips for Growing Mint
Actually , this section is more about restraining the spreading nature of the mint herb ; we do n’t anticipate you having fuss grow it .
Unless you absolutely , positively want it to go everywhere , we recommend grow mint in an unresolved bottomed 5 - Imperial gallon container in the earth , or with some sorting of buried metallic element or wooden roadblock suggesting the bound of where you want to grow mint .
My folk grew it where we coil the garden hosiery . The slaver hosiery made the lot glad , the damage of getting smashed by the hose regularly kept it in bank check . It was a win - win .
you may begin from seed or a seedling with adequate ease , and it is super divide - able-bodied , should your neighbor have a multifariousness you specially covet .
CULTIVATION
Mint like to develop in a sunny to semi - shaded situation with ample wet . It will grow in a across-the-board range of climatical zones but is often treated as an yearbook in colder climates , as it dies back over winter only to reappear when temperatures are favourable again .
It can be very invasive because the plants place out offset ( smuggler ) , which circularize far and wide-eyed , originate raw root and shoots at every node .
produce it in a container to keep it in check . Keep it in its own pot , too , rather than plant it with other herbs , as it would cursorily overtake them .
snip your mint back when it becomes woody . Continual harvesting and regular watering are key , along with steady software of Pisces the Fishes emulsion and liquid seaweed .
VARIETIES
Whether you require contrast and pop or shade and grain , there are mints for you .
Great color pick admit ‘ umber ’ Mentha piperita , which offers elusive chocolate undertones , and ‘ Pineapple ’ stack has wondrous variegated cream and green leaves and a honeyed , fruitier aroma and pallet .
For outstandingly hunky-dory grained grain , you ca n’t beat the teeny , tiny rounded parting of the ‘ Corsican ’ deal . This one is a lovely , slower - spreading groundcover tolerant of the kinds of abuse accrued by the plants that line the garden course ( hint , hint . )
These are some of the more pop and normally found mint — by no means an exhaustive inclination .
1. Apple/Pineapple mint (Mentha suaveolens)
feel : Minty with undertones of apple and pineapple . Lovely for Malus pumila mint jelly .
To 50 cm and diffuse . Foliage quite woolly and leaves a rounded pattern and either plain green or variegated . Mauve efflorescence .
2. Banana mint, Mentha arvensis ‘Banana’
Flavor : Minty with very solid undertones of banana tree .
To 40 curium and go around . Foliage downy and bright lime - green . Growth a little less vigorous than others in Mentha genus . Purple flowers .
3. Basil mint, Mentha x piperita citrata
Flavor : Sweet and blue with aromas of Italian cuisine .
45–60 centimeter . erect growth wont . over-embellished blossom .
4. Chocolate mint, Mentha x piperita citrata ‘Chocolate’
feel : Peppermint with chocolate undertones .
60 cm high × 60 centimetre all-inclusive . Dark - green leaves with sinister - crimson / purplish stems . Lilac flowers .
5. Corsican mint, Mentha requienii.
Flavor : red gum .
One of the smallest , only 1–3 cm high . Tiny rhythm parting that grow flat like dense carpeting . Will stomach light metrical unit traffic . Lavender flowers .
6. Eau de Cologne, Mentha citrata
tang : Lemon perfume / aroma that ’s quite sharp-worded .
45–60 cm , spread 1 m. Green parting tint with purple . Lilac peak . Original source for eau de cologne redolence and still one of the most fragrant mass .
7. Egyptian mint, Mentha niliaca
Flavor : balmy peppermint gum , like to apple mint .
To 90 centimeter . Rare , with foresighted , designate , serrated leaves covered in fine silvery fuzz , giving a silvery appearing . An ancient mint , used since the Pharaohs . Often consider to be referred to in the Good Book . Purple blossom .
8. Ginger mint, Mentha spicata species
tang : Spearmint with undertones of gingerroot .
60 cm high × 40 cm wide . Erect habit . leaf serrate , heartshaped and stems red . Lavender fl owers . A true “ double mint ” because has both active constituents , carvone and menthol .
9. Hung Cay mint, Mentha x gracilis
Flavor: Spicy, zesty Vietnamese mint flavor.
40–60 curium gamey × 30 cm wide . smart - green thin leaves . Lilac peak . One of the many Mentha x gracilis hybrid . Confusion with assignment . Often confusingly named Mentha javanica .
mark : this is not Vietnamese mint , Persicaria odorata .
10. Japanese Menthol mint, Mentha arvensis var piperascens
Flavor : Strong menthol with peppermint undertones.60 cm gamy × 1 m across-the-board . Leaves long , thin and downy grey - putting green . over-embellished flowers . Naturally grow in wet grassland near river and lakes .
11. Moroccan Mint, Mentha spicata var. crispa
Flavor : Sweet and minty , often combined with sugar and dark-green teatime to make Moroccan tea.50 cm high × 60 centimeter all-inclusive . undimmed - green gentle - toothed foliage . Lilac flowers .
12. Old-Fashioned Garden mint, Mojito Mint, Mentha x villosa
relish : on-key strong mintTo 30 cm , spreading . Flowers white . The plebeian older - fashioned quite a little most citizenry grow in backyards .
13. Pennyroyal, Mentha pulegium
Flavor : Not to be consumed even in tiny amounts , especially by pregnant women . Known to get miscarriage , liver and kidney damage , organ failure and even death .
To 15 centimeter , spread primer coat - blanket . little glossy dark-green leaves . diminutive mauve flowers . Traditionally used to repel fleas . Has toxic properties due to the active constituent pule - gone .
14. Peppermint, Mentha x piperita
smell : Spicy sharp perceptiveness , almost hot but chill at the same time .
Vigorous spreading mint . leafage dark super C , stanch ruddy . True peppermint , sterile loanblend that ’s a cross between Mentha aquatica and Mentha spicata . Used for both culinary and medicinal purposes .
15. Spearmint, Mentha spicata
Flavor : on-key spearmint.50–90 centimetre high , diffuse . Bright - unripened , foliage spear - shaped and serrated , highly aromatic . pinkish or white flowers . As a true species , responsible for many other cultivars .
16. Vietnamese mint, Persicaria odorata
nip : Peppery hot taste some guess is similar to coriander .
30 - 50 cm in high spirits , creeping herbaceous perennial . redolent leave of absence elongated and gullible with ruby-red - brown markings . Flowers small and pink . Used extensively in Asiatic cuisine . Not a genuine peck but included due to popularity . sess potential difference in some area .
17. White peppermint, Mentha piperita officinalis
Flavor : Milder red gum .
Paler green and lacks cherry fore .
18. River mint, Mentha australis
Flavor : Minty spearmint.70 cm high-pitched × 1 m wide . A pop bush tucker herb used in culinary dishes as well as teas , fragrant vegetable oil and more . clean or mauve flowers .
19. Slender mint, Mentha diemenica (means “of Tasmania”)
Flavor : Soft minty flavorTo 15 centimeter . Dense ground - book binding with small rounded leafage . take place of course in Tasmania and southerly Victoria . snowy flowers . flora between stepping stones and pavers to release minty scent .
Pest control
1. Rust
Fungal consequence appear as yellow spotting on top of leaves and yellow orange rust pustule on undersides of leaves . May even induce defoliation .
attest constitutional eco - fungicide . To prevent , insure mint is receiving enough sunlight and give regular applications of seaweed .
2. Mildew
Fungal progeny appearing as grey mould on foliation and stem .
Eco - fungicide . Prevent with ample luminosity and steady diligence of seaweed .
3. Grasshoppers
Chewed foliage . Pyrethrum can be effective if lend oneself directly to insect .
Prevent by covering plant completely with okay mosquito veiling .
4. Caterpillars
Chewed foliage .
Bacillus thuringiensis organic spray or pyrethrum — only as last resort . Or be prepared to partake in as caterpillar become butterflies ormoths .
Related:11 plants that repel mosquitoes
PROPAGATION
Start stem or stalk carving either in a glass of water or in a cutting and striking mix . Seed can be treacherous . You may not end up with the same plant life due to cross - pollination .
CULINARY USES
In the kitchen , mint traverse over from savory to sweet with easiness . Mix up mint sauce for a lamb roast or take it straight to dessert as peppermint methamphetamine - pick .
Mint can be used fresh , dried and cooked . A key element in Italian , Middle Eastern and Asian cuisine , it features in salads , drinks , pastas , chicken and seafood dishes , desserts , teas , as a garnish , in chewing gum , cake and confectionery , and in mint sauce and spate jelly .
pop drinks such as plenty julep , mojitos and the liqueur crème de menthe make refreshful alcoholic drinkable . The flowers are edible , too , and issue forth in a range of pinks , mauves , purples and white .
carefulness ! One terra firma cover song mint , known as pennyroyal and not looking as minty as other mints , is POISONOUS . Do NOT put pennyroyal in your herbaceous plant garden .
MEDICINAL BENEFITS
Mint has also been used for centuries for medicinal purposes , in aromatherapy and as an louse repellant . It ’s think to have a calming effect , alleviate nausea and meliorate metabolism and digestive egress .
Cooking with the Mint Plant
afternoon tea made from steeped hatful leave are perfect for avail to sooth headaches , steady down disordered stomachs , heartburn , nausea , even move sickness!And spate is an absolute necessary in Mint Juleps , Mojitos , tabbouleh , and an almost interminable list of foods , confect , and drinks .
OTHER USES
