Growing Mountain Mint

 

   Mountain Mint is a distant cousin of true mint species. It has a light spearmint type aroma when the leaves are touched with a light wave of your hand or by summers gentle breezes.
it offers a mounding cluster of silvery green foliage and tiny blooms that grow atop the stalks of the plant.
This plant prefers a lot of sun but can tolerate up to a half day of shade. When you first plant the mountain mint it is important to keep the soil damp but not saturated. After the plants are established they will tolerate some summer drought.
It is recommended that you plant mountain mint along the edge of a wooded area, or in naturalized areas, as it will roam quite far. In the spring, you may want to prune out some of the roots to keep its growth somewhat contained.
Mountain Mint is hardy from zone 8 all the way up to 4.  It grows well in containers and can offer some helpful pest control when placed in and around areas of activity. You can crush some of the leaves and rub along your shoes and pant legs or even your skin, to repel ticks and chiggers as you are hiking or simply walking through your yard. If you crush some leaves and stick them down in your pockets or under your hat you will greatly reduce the gnat swarms that form around your head in the humidity of the summer evenings. When camping, you can take some tied bundles of the plant and hang them around your campsite to help ward off the mosquitos and gnats.

If you are looking to attract pollinators to your garden this may be the plant you have been searching for. The NABA (National American Butterfly Association) recognizes mountain mint as one of the top plants for pollinators as their blooms can accommodate many different species of pollinators. Butterflies, moths, wasps. and many different kinds of bees all find the mountain mint to be very helpful in their journeys.




So, if you are searching for the perfect plant for the pollinators, mountain mint may be the treasure at the end of your quest.
Come on out to the nursery and talk to us about mountain mint. Take one home and enjoy all of its benefits, from bug repellent to pollinator attracter and probably the biggest plus of this native plant is the fact that deer do not like it, and often will avoid areas where it is planted. So honestly, what's not to love?