We recently landscaped our backyard in Venice, S, California (Zone 6) and planted Corsican Mint between the large paving stones. It was doing really well for several weeks but now it's going brown and wooly ( see attached photo) in some areas and has pretty much died off in other parts. Our landscaper thinks it may have been getting too much water and has decreased that this past week. However, our local nursery (Marina Garden Center) thinks we may have a bug that's killing it; another nursery (Armstrong Garden Center) thought it was because the stones were getting hot and 'burning the mint' in the sunny areas and getting too much water in the shady areas. Don't know what to think but concerned that the problem will recur if we plant more Corsican Mint without determining the cause of this problem first. Armstrong's suggested we plant Blue Star Creeper (Isotoma fluviatilis) but we're getting a puppy later this year and I read that it's toxic. Any suggestions?
Corsican Mint issues
How long has the mint been in place and have you had exceptionally hot weather?
I've had trouble with caterpillars in my corsican mint. Bt usually takes care of them. The corsican mint doesn't tolerate heat very well and grows best in the shadier spots of my yard. Other ground covers that might perform better in a sunny spot are creeping types of thyme or veronica. Check the website for High Counrty Gardens for more info about heat and drought tolerant groundcovers.
The mint was planted about 2 1/2 or 3 months ago. The weather has been quite cool for S. California and we live on the coast - until very recently, we've been experiencing an even longer period of June Gloom than most years.
Thanks, Katian. I don't think we have a caterpillar issue but looking into alternative groundcovers as you suggested for the sunny areas - that could be the problem.
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