mountain mint – GrowIt BuildIT

Blunt Mountainmint is a native herbaceous flower that is really a strong draw for pollinators. Also known as Clustered Mountainmint, in mid to late summer clusters of tiny white/purple flowers will bloom forming almost a canopy over the stalks. This plant is very dense with leaves and flowers, making it a great choice for manicured flowerbeds as well as wildflower gardens. It is really a pretty plant that is just mobbed by bees and pollinating flys. A native plant, Blunt mountain mint has a natural range from Texas to Illinois, then East to the Atlantic Ocean and New England. Facts Is a favorite flower of bees and butterflies. This plant has a very high value for pollinators. Contains a natural insect repellent, pulegone Slowly spreads via rhizomes, but easy to control Deer and rabbit resistant Has a long blooming period of 4-6 weeks Is attractive even after flowering, into the winter Blunt Mountainmint is hardy from USDA zones 4-8. Check your USDA zone here It shares many of the same characteristics as other species of Mountain Mint Physical Description This is a clump forming plant that spreads via rhizomes. It grows 2-3' tall with equal spread once firmly established. You will notice a strong spearmint aroma on crushed leaves. Stalk / Stem It has a smooth stalk with branching. The stalk is light green. The branching will terminate and flowers with opposite leaves. Leaves Leaves of Blunt Mountain Mint are opposite and green near the base and lower on the stalk. Near the top of the stalk the leaves are almost white and take on a more exotic appearance. The leaves have a lance shape (lanceolate) and terminate at a point (acuminate). Leaves grow about 2" long by 1" wide (at the widest point). Flower Hundreds of tiny tubular flowers form clusters. Each tube has two lips. In full sun many blooms will occur. Root This is a shallow-rooted plant. The roots will spread out and send up new stalks, increasing the size of the plant over time. Since it is shallow, it is not hard to control the size. A shallow rhizome root of Mountain Mint. Growing Conditions This plant prefers full sun and moist soil that drains well. But it is very drought tolerant, so just pay attention. It will do just fine in partial shade. Along the southern or eastern edge of woods is a perfect location for this plant. But it can do just fine out in the open too. Click on the image below for our Reference Table on Growing Mountainmint I have mine in an open, isolated area. It is growing on a small knob or hill with pretty much no shade, and the area gets really dry in mid-late Summer. All pictures on this page are of that specimen, as I haven't transplanted any new shoots to our micro-prairie yet. This location receives sun all day long, and is on a small slope. How to care for Blunt Mountainmint This plant really doesn't require much care. As long as you put it in conditions / an environment that it likes, the plant will do just fine. It may require watering in extreme drought. Maintenance The main thing you may need to do is to control the spread if in a small garden area. This dense plant will slowly spread. It is not as aggressive as most mints though, so don't be afraid. The shallow roots make it easy to pull new shoots. Alternatively, you can stab around the perimeter with a shovel to sever new roots too, in Early Spring. How to Establish Growing from seed is quite easy for this plant. It doesn't require any stratification, and needs light to germinate. So to grow Clustered Mountainmint from seed you just need to sprinkle seed in a disturbed area in early Spring. Or just direct so in pots and keep moist, letting them get morning sun. Once you have germination, thin to the desired number of plants. Transplant seedlings once they are several inches tall into their final location. Then just maintain soil moisture throughout the first year. Alternatively you can plant your transplants in the fall, and the roots will establish themselves during the winter. This photo was taken about 1 month after emergence in Spring Propagating Mountain Mint through Divsion Mountain Mint is extremely easy to divide and get free plants! In early Spring, shortly after the plant has emerged you can safely divide them. You can pot-up the transplants, or replant entire clumps. My process is as follows: Gather up a spade, small handheld garden shovel, handheld pruning sheers, and a pot or bucket to hold the new plants. Rake up any mulch around the plant, so that you have easy access to the dirt. Use the spade to stab through the soil 4-6 inches away from the area you want to divide. Doing this will get you about a 3-6" long rhizome root that will have multiple shoots pushing through the soil. Then, use the handheld trowel to gently lift up a clump of Blunt Mountain Mint. Since you cut through the roots that lead back to the mother plant, it will be easy to pull up. A small clump of mountain mint I removed. Use garden sheers to separate the shoots. Or, just plant the entire clump in a new location where you would like to have the plant! Garden Uses Since this is a 'slow' spreading mint, it would do well in a manicured flower bed. But overall this plant is quite versatile and can adapt to many settings. The key is to keep it in well draining soil and make sure it gets some sunlight. As I stated above, I have mine out in the open. But next spring I plant to move some volunteer shoots into our backyard micro-prairie. This is the 'spread' of Mountain Mint. As you can see it basically doubled in diameter. Click on the image below to learn how to make your own backyard Micro-Prairie! https://growitbuildit.com/how-to-make-a-micro-prairie/ Fauna Associations This plant is an absolute favorite of bees and butterflies! I'm amazed by the number of native bees that I see on the flowers every time I visit it. This is a very beneficial plant for pollinators. As far as 'pollinator friendly' flowers go, this one will definitely give you the most bang for your buck. A colorful webworm moth paying Mountainmint a visit Pests and diseases This plant has a strong aroma. That strong aroma keeps deer and rabbits from browsing it. I've never seen any damage on my plants. So you can classify Blunt Mountainmint as very deer resistant. ====== JOIN OUR FREE NEWSLETTER HERE. Get our new content sent to your inbox. (No worries, we won't spam you.) 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