Mountain Mint

Common or Virginia Mountain Mint is a tall, bushy perennial mint native to what is now the Eastern U.S. and Canada and into the Midwestern states. This showy, fragrant mint grows up to three feet in height with dark green, narrow foliage and long, wiry stems. It blooms in late summer in clusters of lovely white flowers flecked with purple speckles. Its foliage is strongly mint- or thyme-scented when brushed past or crushed in your hand.

A traditional mint for tea and culinary use, it is a longstanding medicinal used by many Indigenous peoples of Eastern North America. As with many mints, it makes a delicious tea which can soothe digestion and support the body against cold and flu. An easily maintained garden or native habitat restoration plant, Mountain Mint is endlessly popular with pollinating insects - attracts honeybees, native bee species, wasps, beetles and butterflies. A perfect addition to your pollinator garden!

Days to maturity: 85 days to flower

Seeds per pack: 150

Germination rate: 89% on 09/03/2024

Planting / harvesting notes

Sow in autumn or early spring, seed requires cold treatment to germinate. Sow seeds on surface of soil and press in firmly. In cool soils, seed germinates after about 20 days. Prefers part shade to full sun, does well in a variety of soils with occasional watering. Native habitat includes wet prairies, stream edges and moist bluffs - prefers not to get too dry.

Seed keeping notes

Coming soon!

Photo credit: Hardyplants at English Wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons