Recently I was puttering around under the deck and discovered a forgotten strawberry pot that a girlfriend gave me several years ago. I had been wondering what I would plant mint in, and suddenly I had my answer! I'd been craving some fresh mint to flavor glasses of iced tea. When I add mint I don't need any sweetener in my tea, and I like that. So off I headed to a local nursery in hopes of finding a few mint plants healthier than the scraggly offspring I'd been seeing in the grocery stores.
And I was not disappointed. I got Chocolate Mint.
Orange Mint.
Peppermint.
Spearmint. Do you grow mint? How do you use it? What are your favorites? The only sure advice I've received is "Grow it in pots or it will take over the garden," so that's what I'm doing!
Recently I was puttering around under the deck and discovered a forgotten strawberry pot that a girlfriend gave me several years ago. I had been wondering what I would plant mint in, and suddenly I had my answer! I'd been craving some fresh mint to flavor glasses of iced tea. When I add mint I don't need any sweetener in my tea, and I like that. So off I headed to a local nursery in hopes of finding a few mint plants healthier than the scraggly offspring I'd been seeing in the grocery stores.
And I was not disappointed. I got Chocolate Mint.
Orange Mint.
Peppermint.
Spearmint. Do you grow mint? How do you use it? What are your favorites? The only sure advice I've received is "Grow it in pots or it will take over the garden," so that's what I'm doing!
Fun! The orange mint sounds like it would be especially nice in a tall glass of tea. B-)
ReplyDeleteThat's a great use for your strawberry pot. I can see lots of mint tea in your future.
ReplyDeleteFresh mint is great to have on hand and what a nice variety you'll have. It also looks pretty planted in your strawberry pot.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great mint medley!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your mint. I had peppermint growing for years. It was planted in a pot but near my herb bed. I guess it jumped out of the pot because I now have mint growing in my herb bed. And the bad thing is it must have crossed pollinated with my oregano because now I have 2 nasty tasting mutant plants. Good thing I tasted the oregano last year before I put it in the pasta sauce. :-) One day I'll dig it all up, replace the dirt and start again.
ReplyDeleteI planted some mint for use as a garnish-picked some sprigs for the Kentucky Derby on tv-did not wear a
ReplyDeletefancy hat!
Aha! Insprirational blog for sure today. I've been wondering what to plant in an old tub of mine! This is it. I've GOT to try that chocolate mint. Thanks Angela! Had to laugh at Ginger's comment today. I've had mint spring out before as well, but never mutate! Very funny.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun way to plant mint. Mint can take over the yard so I like the idea of the strawberry pot. Spearmint is probably my favorite. I could see tucking in a plant of lemon verbena there too.
ReplyDeleteHow fun! I do NOT have an emerald thumb so I am not the gardener of my friends but I sure enjoy looking at yours!
ReplyDeleteI love mint and it grows so easy - I actually pull it out to keep it from getting out of control!!!
ReplyDeleteI had a pot like that for years but broke is in some move. We all have these stories!
Yes, in temperate climates with rich soil mint will take over your garden. However, I eat so much mint, and I like an overgrown look to my garden, so I plant my mint in the soil.
ReplyDeleteIn some climates and regions, however, mint struggles--drier ones, or ones with poor soil (very far north, pine barrens with sandy soil, parts of arkansas, and san diego--I've seen mint struggle in these places). It loves most of the mid-atlantic and midwest, however.
I love orange mint but I find it is a bit misnamed. I like to use it as a basil substitute during the six weeks or so in the early spring after which it has sprouted leaves, but it's still too cold to grow basil.
Some mints will grow from seed (lemon balm in particular) whereas others generally won't (I've never had peppermint do that).
Also, one thing I love about mint is that it is highly shade tolerant. It grows well in full sun but it also does well with less than half exposure...planted up against a building, under shubs, directly under dense trees, things like that.