Monday, May 13, 2013

Mint garden in a teacup

When I was at Lowe's the other day looking for plants for my mom for Mother's Day, I was delighted to find they also had a nice selection of mints. So that meant it was time to replant my oversized teacup planter with a little mint garden!

The plants are all from Bonnie Plants in neighboring Alabama, and they all looked nice and healthy. The first one to catch my eye was a variety I've never heard of before, Grapefruit Mint. When I crushed a leaf between my fingers I did indeed detect a rather citrusy scent.

The Sweet Mint, at left, smells so sweet you can practically taste the sugar, and of course Chocolate Mint, at right, is a necessary plant for obvious reasons if you're a chocolate lover.

The smallest of the plants was this Peppermint plant, and I was happy to find it.

Once planted with all four plants, I thought the combination of leaf shapes, colors and sizes was actually quite attractive!

And to add a little pizzazz, I popped in this plant stake that was a gift from tea friend Linda last year.

I often use mint in my iced tea during warm weather. Sometimes I use it to make a simple syrup (go here for easy instructions), and sometimes I just tuck a sprig directly into the glass for the subtle flavoring it gives. This year, it's dawned on me I could also experiment with using chopped mint leaves as an ingredient in foods such as salads and tea sandwiches. If you're a mint lover too, I'd love to hear which varieties you grow!

















12 comments:

  1. A lovely idea, thanks for the inspiration!

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  2. I do love mint in my iced tea in the summertime, you have inspired me to do a mint planter. Thanks!

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  3. What a lovely combo of mints. I think I would really like the grapefruit mint. Will have to go to Lowe's and look for it. Thanks for the inspiration.

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  4. Love your teacup mint garden, Angela. Such a nice variety of leaf shapes and textures.

    I love Eau de Cologne Mint, also called Bergamot Mint and Orange Mint and it gives off a scent that deters flies and wasps. It adds a wonderful dimension to iced tea and frosting.

    Enjoy your mint harvest!

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  5. I always love growing spearmint. Because mint can be invasive in the garden I don't usually plant much. I love your idea of a mint garden in a huge teacup. Now I did see some huge teacups at the market, maybe it is time to plant a mint garden too. Mint is also good chopped up in tabbouleh along with fresh tomatoes in the summer.

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  6. I too just planted choc mint and there also is a choc scented geranium!!! I will have to check my Lowes for the grapefruit mint, thank you for the info.Christine

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  7. I love mint and grow as many kinds as I can find! In the summertime I make iced tea (black) and add fresh mint leaves and steep them together. It makes such a refreshing drink. My favorites are chocolate mint and orange mint.

    I also grow spearmint, which is a fav of other family members.

    LaDonna
    Gracious Hospitality

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  8. I need to plant mint in my big teacup planter this year. Thanks for the perfect idea!

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  9. Mint is also yummy in salads and summer rolls at Vietnamese restaurants! I'm not sure which variety they use, but I'm interested in trying to use it more in food this summer.

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  10. since mint can spread and go "wild" in a hurry (ask me how I know), your tea cup is the perfect spot. I love mint.

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  11. I'm definitely going to have to acquire some mint plants after reading this post! I've got a large teacup planter that's never been used, so it's time to remedy that!

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  12. Great ideas Angela - I am going to try this out. Thanks for the inspiration, Joanie

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