UK plant library · herb

Mint

Mentha spicata (spearmint) and other Mentha spp. · Lamiaceae

Easy, vigorous herb for teas and cooking

Photo: Simon Eugster --Simon 13:07, 2 July 2006 (UTC), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Sun: Full sun to part shade
Soil: Moist, fertile
Soil pH: Tolerates acid, neutral or alkaline soil; about pH 6.0-8.0 suits
Water: Keep moist
Hardiness: Fully hardy, RHS H7 (herbaceous; dies back in winter)
Height and spread: 30cm-1m tall; spreads 1-1.5m or more by rhizomes

Guv's tipMint likes it moist and fertile. After flowering, cut the whole plant to about 5cm from the base and it'll come back fresh.

Through the year

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Sow or plant

Harvest

Prune

Timings are for the UK as a whole. Northern and exposed gardens often run a couple of weeks later.

When to plant

Plant in spring or autumn (Mar-May, Sep-Oct); available year-round

Harvest or flowering

Harvest May-Oct

Pruning

After flowering, cut the whole plant to about 5cm from the base. Cut back faded stems from late autumn to spring

Making more plants

Division (spring or autumn), softwood cuttings (spring), rhizome or root cuttings

Watch out for

Pest

Aphids

Look for: Colonies of small green/black insects on shoot tips, sticky honeydew, distorted leaves

What to do: Squash or wash off, encourage ladybirds and other predators; insecticidal soap if severe

Pest

Blue mint beetle

Look for: Metallic blue beetles and larvae eating leaves

What to do: Hand-pick; tolerate

Pest

Sage and Ligurian leafhoppers

Look for: Pale mottled patches on upper leaf surfaces

What to do: Usually tolerable; no action normally needed

Disease

Mint rust

Puccinia menthae

Look for: Orange pustules, distorted shoots in spring

What to do: Remove affected plants; replant clean stock elsewhere

Always read and follow the label on any treatment, and check it is approved for use where you live.

Safety and spread

Pets and people: Low toxicity. Mint (Mentha spp.) is listed as toxic to dogs, cats and horses by the ASPCA (essential oils; vomiting and diarrhoea with large amounts eaten), with mild toxicity to dogs. Pennyroyal (M. pulegium) is harmful if eaten

Weed risk: Not listed as an invasive plant in Great Britain; spearmint is not restricted. Spreads aggressively by rhizomes, so grow it in containers

Checked against two or more reputable gardening sources. How we check our facts

Growing somewhere else? See this plant for the USA.

Keep it by the back door

The Plant Doctor and the Guv's book

Printable pest and disease charts with real photographs, and all 50 UK plants in one book.

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