Mint Varieties

The varieties of Mint are seemingly endless, each with it’s own special scent and flavor

With so many types of mint it is difficult to choose which to grow.  You may decide to grow a few, or several.  Just remember that mint can spread voraciously, so container plantings will keep them from overtaking your gardens.  And, specific mints may not be suited to your growing region, so take a little time to investigate the needs of each type.

It would be impossible to list even just the most commonly grown varieties much less provide summary information.  But this should be enough to get you started with selections:

Peppermint With a very strong mint flavor, peppermint cant be chewed to freshen breath, steeped in tea, diffused with lemon in water or used in desserts.  One of the slightly less invasive of the mint family, Peppermint grows well in zones 5 through 11.    Part to full sun and plenty of water will keep Peppermint happy. 

Spearmint  A fragrant and mild spearmint is quite commonly used for summer drinks such as mojitos or mint juleps, but is also very lovely when used for cooking vegetables or lamb.  Spearmint enjoys sun to part shade and grows well perennially in zones 5 to 11.  Best flavor is achieved with 5 or 6 hours of sun.

Chocolate Mint With chocolate overtones and a strong mint flavor, this is an excellent mint for desserts.  Or dry it and add it to black tea.  For best flavor give Chocolate Mint plenty of sun with occasional supplemental water and fertilizer.

Orange Mint A hint of citrus lends this mint perfectly to salads.  Tea is a favorite use for orange mint.  Extra hardy, Orange Mint grows perennially to zone 4.

Pineapple Mint  Excellent as tea, Pineapple Mint is also nice in any beverage or used as garnish.  Not quite as hardy as some mint, Pineapple Mint grows perennially to zone 6 and will like some shade in hot zones.  With good soil you don’t need to fertilize and will require little water once established

Lavender Mint  With floral overtones Lavender Mint is perfect to add to tea.  Used fresh or dried, lavender mint is perfect in a glass of lemonade or tossed into salads or fruits.

Ginger Mint  An absolutely perfect addition to a glass of lemonade but is also wonderful snipped over tomatoes or melons.  Try it in hot chocolate, chopped into soft butter or marinade fish with lemon and ginger mint!  Unfortunately Ginger Mint is not even frost tolerant, so in our cold regions we need to grow it as an annual.  On the bright side, no problems with aggressive runners