Mint as a Perennial Border

"As for the garden of mint, the very smell of it alone recovers and refreshes our spirits, as the taste stirs up our appetite for meat," declared the Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder almost two thousand years ago. Aristotle is claimed to have recommended peppermint as an aphrodisiac. Nothing much has changed, except for a plethora more offerings--enough to fill an entire border. And why not? Mints are an easy growing, versatile family, flourishing in light shade and moist soils. Located in the family of the Lamiaceae, they are cousins to basil, catnip, rosemary, sage, oregano and many other herbs, all distinguished by their square stems. Depending on the source, there are 13 to 18 species. However to the despair of botanists, nature being nature and ignoring taxonomical niceties, natural hybrids occur.

Thanks to human intervention, many other hybrids and numerous cultivars are known. In recent years, for example, the Westerfield Mints have attracted attention. They are named after their creator Jim Westerfield (1935-2013), a passionate breeder of mints near Freeburg, Illinois. A successful musician and song writer he operated an inn, Westerfield House, with his wife Marilyn from 1984 until retiring in 2002. At one time the gardens there are said to have contained 40 different mints. The Ontario, Canada acclaimed herb firm Richters were the first to offer them for commercial sale. Centuries before Pliny, the Greek mythology had it that their mint, mentha, originated from the tale of the nymph Mithre, who was transformed into a mint plant in a bit of derring-do. In modern botany, the Greek mintha becomes Mentha, modern mint. Mentha species and cultivars range from just 10- to 120-centimetres in height. There are choices then for the front, middle and rear of the beds. As always with border displays, choose odd numbered increments for best effect. Experienced gardeners at this point are likely to be having conniptions, demanding a word or more about the invasive habits. Yes, many if not most are of joyfully unrestrained habit. If not taken firmly in hand, they will romp everywhere and anywhere their runners can reach. The answer is simple. Plant in buried plastic containers, the bottoms cut out, the tops left protruding a couple of centimetres above ground level. The 10-inch-diamter planter pots nursery stock are offered in are perfect for this purpose. Gardens lacking wider spaces can accommodate mints in larger containers or tubs.

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Purchase named, growing specimens from reliable sources. Seed houses are not such. Seeds of Mentha are highly variable, seldom coming true to name. Some, sold as peppermint, are nothing such. True peppermint flowers are sterile so yield no seeds. The only reliable way to propagate mint selections are vegetatively. Despite mint oil being valued as a pesticide against wasps, hornets, ants and cockroaches, the plants may be subject to invasive aphids and whiteflies. However, Mentha has been claimed to be of use in companion planting. Commercially, menthol, an organic compound included in many products, is obtained from corn mint, peppermint or other mint oils.

Species, Hybrids and Cultivars: Some Selections

Spearmint Mentha. # (syn. M. viridis, M. cordifolia) Traditional mint jelly, for peas, carrots, new potatoes, lamb sauce, mint julep Improved Spearmint Mentha # 'Kentucky Colonel' (M. # x M. suaveolens) Moroccan Mint Mentha # Traditional tea green tea boiled with sugar, the mint added and steeped English Mint Mentha # cv. Peppermint Mentha x piperita piperita True peppermint flowers are sterile and don't produce seed Variegated Peppermint Mentha x piperita piperita 'Variegata' It is necessary to rogue out any plain green stems Grapefruit Mint Mentha x piperita 'Grapefruit' Peppermint, Chocolate Mint Mentha x piperita (M. aquatica x M. #) Apple Mint. Mentha suaveolens Soft grey-green round leaves Pineapple Mint Mentha sueveolens 'Variegata'

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Variegation varies, best in full sun

Corn, Field, Wild, Banana Mint, Japanese Peppermint M. arvensis Circumboreal in distribution Banana Mint Mentha arvensis 'Banana' Ginger Mint, Scotch Mint Mentha x gracilis (M. arvensis x M. #) Water or Marsh Mint Mentha aquatica Orange, Bergamot, Eau de Cologne Mint Mentha aquatica 'Citrata' Corsican Mint Mentha requienii Carpet-forming; not fully hardy in northern areas Mojito Mint Mentha x villosa Unique mint from Cuba; mojito cocktail: rum, sugar, lime juice Vietnamese Mint Mentha x gracilis Listed as such by Richters but elsewhere as Persocaria odorata (Polygonacea) Scotch Spearmint, Red Mint, American Apple Mint Mentha x gracilis Red or red-purple stems, dark green leaves; staple of American mint oil industry Pennyroyal Mentha pulegium Strong-scented; an abortifacient never to be used by pregnant women Horse Mint Mentha longifolia (syn. M. sylvestris) not fully aquatic but thrives in wet soils alongside rivers, streams; medicinal American Wild Mint Mentha canadensis North America, India, East Asia, Japan, NT Australia 4-18 inches tall (45cm) widely grown commercially

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Some other Mentha species of interest:

Asian Mint M. asiatica Herb tea made from leaves; tolerates clay soils; to 1m tall Australian Mint M. australis (River Mint, Native Peppermint) Low groundcover Wrinkled-Leaf Mint M. crispata 30 to 60 cm, purple stems Slender Mint M. diemenica Australian, 10 to 50 cm Forest Mint M. laxiflora Eastern Australia; moist woodlands Grey Mint M. vagans Central Asia; aquatic habitat According to comedian Billy Connolly, "Ally MacLeod thinks tactics are a new kind of mint." Well yes--and the Canada Mint can be found in Ottawa. And in the antebellum distilled south of the U.S. of A. it was claimed you could tell the grave of a southern gentleman by the mint growing on it. Mint Julep Day has been declared as 30^th May. Be prepared. Set out the Mentha # 'Kentucky Colonel' (M. # x M. suaveolens) early in the month.