Motherwort

This bitter mint is calming for anxiety, strengthening for the heart (its scientific name means "lion hearted"), soothing and tonifying for menstrual pains, and helps with premenstrual and menopausal nerves. Native to Europe, it has naturalized in North America and grows in disturbed areas, roadsides, and fields. The leaves and pink-lavender flowering tops are often used for their healing properties.

Days to Maturity: 60

Seeds per pack: 100

Germination rate: 94% on 05/30/2024

Planting / harvesting notes

Prefers partial shade to full sun. Direct sow in spring or fall, tamping down seeds with back of rake, barely covered. Keep soil moist until germination. You can also start seeds indoors and transplant. Space plants 1-2' apart.

Seed keeping notes

Allow seedheads to dry on the plant. Consider wearing gloves, as the seedheads can be irritatingly pointy. Cut the stalks below the lowest seed clusters, and place immediately in buckets as seed will drop. If necessary, dry the seedheads further in the sun on a sheet or table away from moisture and precipitation. When fully dry, whack the seedheads in a bucket, allowing the ripest seed to fall. Sift through strainers to remove the largest chaff, and then winnow off the lighter chaff with your breath, a fan, or the wind.