Ok, with spring at our doorstep I ventured out on the web to shop. I was looking for herbs, mostly sages this year, but once again I was bitten by the mint bug. I was looking at Fragrant Fields and Richters selections and wondering what the favorites are. Which ones have the longest staying power, are the prettiest, multiply the best (not that mint needs much help, but with hybrid ones I wondered), favorite uses and just have the best fragrance.
My experience with mint goes as far as the local nursery.....apple, pineapple, banana etc. I think my favorite is pineapple, I love the variegated foliage. I haven't done the mail order ones because I just couldn't decide on a few and would spend so much time tyring to decide that I would get frustrated and vow to come back and then end up forgetting. This year I my take the plunge. Hopefully this will give a good reference for all the different kinds, uses and favorites.
So opinions anyone?....
Favorite Mints... It's that time of year again...
Black-stemmed peppermint is my favorite. So intensely minty! For spearmint, I love Kentucky Colonel. Very refined and refreshing. I also like chocolate mint.
This will be my first year growing mint. How does everyone keep them separate? If I put in 4 or 5 different ones, will some cross? If so, how do you track what comes up next year?
All I've started so far is Corsican mint which I hope will spread widely (only took 24 days from seed to grow big enough to taste which was a surprise).
This message was edited Mar 4, 2009 3:21 PM
I've never seen the black-stemmed peppermint before. Is it more rare? I've heard lots of talk about the Kentucky Colonel, I didn't see one last week at the nursery though. They were just starting to get herbs in for spring, I'll have to check back. I like the chocolate, seemed a little milder if I remember correctly. I like the stronger mints that really add a lot of flavor. I'm hoping to get a good mint section going in the next couple of years. I think we'll be building a new house and I want to be sure and put a lot of herbs in.
We cross posted david. I've only grown mine in pots, mostly root bound by end of summer. I want to start adding them to the landscape so I was wondering how people do it too. Are buried pots the best method or do they just need the room to run free? I know they can be quite aggressive. I'm hoping to add quite a few varieties when I get it going.
Chocolate mint is my favorite , I use it for tea.I have a large patch , but then I drink a lot of tea. Spearmint is good ,I think it smells stronger than it tastes. I use it to flavor some herbal teas that do not have enough of their own flavor.
I do love the way corsican looks and smells but it is not hardy here. I was glad to see someone grow it from seed I think I will try that , I get tired purchasing new every year.
I also grow curly, apple (the fuzzy one) and peppermint.
Gardengus...I started Corsican mint from seed on Feb 5th. Its big enough to snip off and taste already. Photo from this afternoon:
I grow my mints in different beds about 20' apart has worked so far to keep them from cross polination. I don't mind mine going wild but most people seem to prefer to keep them in pots or buried pots. They do tend to get carried away in walking down the road. LOL
Here's a "Beyond Peppermint" article I wrote about the mints I've grown: http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/1354/
:-)
I would like to find some black stemmed peppermint also. I had it once long time ago.
all my mints are in the ground and I constantly dig and pull runners to keep them from taking over, it's a big job but they seem to do better for me in the ground. I had the blue balsam mint in a large pot and it eventually died on me. So I won't grow them in pots now. I cook with the chocolate mint most, but do love the kentucky colonel also. I acquired the mojito mint a couple years ago which came from richters, and it's a fabulous strong scented mint. I weed wack the blooms off to keep them from cross pollinating, and from getting too leggy, and before winter, I'll go in and pull out all the runners all the way up to the main plant so there aren't ANY runners going out at all.
The people from Mulberry Creek suggest buried pots (5gal.) to keep them under control. It's worked for me so far.
If you leave them sticking above the ground some, they have a tendancy to Jump out LOL the tall stems will lay over and root where ever they lay .
Sticky up they are easy to catch before the get too far. I stick my long stems back in the pot.
Where can you order the black stem peppermint? Sounds very nice.
I've just recently ordered mints from Mountain Valley Growers and Pepper's Greenhouse: Corsican, Egyptian, Lime, Pineapple, Georgia Apple, Grapefruit, and Emerald and Gold(maybe the same as ginger?).
Emerald & gold is the same thing as variegated ginger mint.
I think papa genos has the black stem peppermint . But don't quote me, I went on a hunt for it and thought I saw it there.
I was looking for the variegated peppermint and it was there, so I might have been confused, and they don't really have the black stem mint, I had to quit looking cause I would have spent a fortune if I stayed there. And wasn't ready to spend anything yet LOL
This link shows a couple of folks have it for trade as cuttings, maybe you could trade with them.
http://davesgarden.com/community/trading/search.php?search_text=PFPID:98964
I didn't see the black stem mint at Papagenos. They do have a lot of different mints but most are sold out. Maybe they will have some available later.
Anyway, I can't seem to find a nursery that has the black stem mint.
Lol, this is making me really want it now.
I think I saw it at companion plants as I was looking around...I'll go see.
Yes, they have it. Here's the link... http://companionplants.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=687&osCsid=ph8e5jo7nodggbrmva378b3ih5
mentha piperata var. it's called.
The variegated mentha piperata isn't the black stem mint.
I received that one in a trade once and planted it in part shade I'll have to see if any comes up this year it did'n't come up last year though.
The regular blck stem mint isn't variegated.
WE'll have to go on the hunt for it now LOL google searching works best. I know I saw it somewhere though, just can't remember wehre
Okay, I'll be searching too. I thought maybe Pepper's Greenhouse would have it but they don't carry it. I've ordered from them before and was very pleased with the plants I got. Maybe Santa Rosa might have it.
I'd love to know if you find any
I just saw the heading in passing, and wonder if there is any consensus as to what mint is hardest to kill? I have killed many un-named varieties, inside and outside. I've tried taking excellent care (as told to me by the people who had so much they wanted to get rid of it) of it, including it in my "normal" care patterns and flat out ignoring it. It all died. I love mint, but could really use some help here. I just started seeds for Spearmint and Peppermint, and I don't want them to grow only to be killed.....
Thanks,
Margo
Have you been growing/killing it in containers, or in the ground? Sun? Drainage? what sort of conditions?
There are a few plants I just have no luck with that everybody else can grow, so maybe mint is yours... but we won't give up until we pile on the advice, LOL.
"Have you been growing/killing it in containers, or in the ground? Sun? Drainage? what sort of conditions?"
All of the above. Plus partial shade, shade, clay (the norm), amended soil, potting mix, seed starting mix (which now has seeds for the peppermint and spearmint) and "topsoil".
Just wondered if any varieties were hardier (or more idiot proof) than others.....
I think the "garden variety" mints are hardier than some of the special hybrids (although some of those are very vigorous also; Hillary's Sweet Lemon comes to mind). My 'Kentucky Colonel' spearmint is probably the most vigorous mint that I grow, and I've had it grow in some pretty tough conditions (part shade in clay soil under our town house stairs some years back). Mint does like regular watering until it gets established, but I'm sure yours got that... sometimes I've found that using the polymer moisture crystals can help compensate for any over or underwatering errors I might be making with a plant.
Anybody have suggestions for cat?
Spearamint , chocolate and apple mint. But I want Mojito Mint! Kind of hard to get, apparently.
I'd be growing it in full sun for sure. I told someone else, that my mints don't like pots and I kill them in pots. Putting a large ring into the ground or big pot into the ground and growing them seems the best way to grow them in pots.
If you can work the soil, and just plant them into the ground in full sun, I can't imagine them dying on you. If you want to keep them in pots, I'd plant it in a large round pot 5 gallon or larger or you can take a 5 gallon or larger cut the bottom out, about half way up, drive itinto the soil and keep it above the soil 3 inches or so, and stick that mint inside, it won't spread from under ground and what hops over the top can always bekept under control. I think this would be your best way to grow them. I have never had any luck growing them in pots. I lost my blue balsam in a pot.
And the kentucky colonel is in the ground all over the place, I can't get it under control it's popping up where ever it wants LOL I should practice what I preach and plant my mints in rings in the ground.
I got that mojito mint, someone shared cuttings they got the plant at richters, or someone in their family did.
So I read this wonderful post and bought a few varieties of mint to try this year from Fragrant Gardens. I'm not so sure I want mint running rampant through my small garden and some people here mentioned planting it in buckets and putting it in the ground. Do I need to drill holes in the bucket for drainage? or just be careful not to over-water it? If it does need holes, wouldn't the roots just get through? Any advice on how to best go about it would be appreciated. I already bring too many things in every winter and a lot die in my very dark house, so I would rather have a more permanent option (I'm Z5a). Thanks.
If you have a deep pot like a 5 gallon pot, then the roots wouldn't get through, I've heard of folks planting like Imentioned, cutting the bottom out and they don't have problems with the roots going under the pot, they have a tendency to run just underneath the soil line.
I would put holes in the pot though .
I have a friend in the next town over that has metal rings around her mints and their only about 5 inches tall , she's driven them into the ground level with the ground also. She keeps them under pretty good control . I don't know if they jump out or not, but i've seen them and they looked under control to me. but they weren't large plants either. her rings were like 25 inches around, not sure where she got them at either.
Ok good info. I think I can run with that. Thanks!
kathy-ann wrote;"just plant them into the ground in full sun, I can't imagine them dying on you. "
Grin. No-one else could, either. I did it, though!
I'll keep trying, and see if anyone has any extra plants around here I can mint-nap....
Thanks!
Hmmmmm ~ favorite mints. I haven't met ANY I don't like. A couple of unusual ones I have are narrow leafed mountain mint ( Pycnanthemum tenuifolium) and from Kathy_Ann ~ Costmary or bible mint. I can't say I do anything special with these but love the fragrance of them.
The one I've had difficulty keeping for a season is pineapple mint but I love it and will try, try again.
Catmad ~ LOL I feel your pain... I was given a start of "you just can't kill this one" spearmint. Guess what! It is now outta here. I found I do best keeping mine in pots and the main requirement mint has in my zone is consistent moisture. Don't know what your solution will be but this works for me...
Kristi, Costmary and (bible mint) Habak mint are two different plants. You probably got Habak mint from me ha? I can'tremember. I also have costmary (bible leaf) It's quite confusing those two plants though they look completely different, they are both called bible plant and bible leaf. Here's costmary (bible leaf)
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/search.php?q=costmary
Here's Habak mint (bible mint)
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/64468/
I thought I lost all my habak was pulled up with all the foti, but I see some coming back now, so I am glad I still have some.
Now, I lost all my pineapple mint too , one day I'm going to have to get some more variegated pineaple mint. the bermuda will kill out mint. LOL
The guy at Mulberry Creek says to put holes in the bottom of the 5 gallon bucket for drainage. I've had no problem doing so.
It was this one... http://davesgarden.com/products/market/view/706/. Does it bloom?
yes, you bought the costmary, It's not a mint but I think it's in the family. It's good to make tea out of also though.
Oops ~ my mistake. Just the fragrance makes me think it is a mint. lol
Here is a source for the Black Stem mint...Companion Plants:
http://companionplants.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=687&osCsid=ce68mol1ret452646gkdd7cic4
They have a lot of other mints and other plants as well. They seem to have good feedback. Has anyone ordered from them before?