Mentha spicata

A small, clumping, aromatic, perennial growing to 1m tall and as wide as it is allowed to grow.

This mint has leaves which are toothed and oblong to lance-shaped, bright green and highly aromatic. Flowers are borne in spikes of tubular, bell-shaped pink, lilac or white throughout the summer months.

Prefers full sun in well-drained soil is best but spearmint is not easily killed so will tolerate a range of conditions.

With suitable preparation and care, perennials will grow and flower well year after year. They benefit from a weed-free, well-drained, soil rich in organic material. Prepare the planting site when soil is moist and easily worked after the first rains in autumn. Remove all perennial weeds and incorporate bark, compost or other organic material. On heavy soils, raise the level of beds and borders with extra topsoil and coarse pumice or sand. Plant when the soil is moist and warm in autumn or early spring so that a good root system develops to support vigorous new growth.

Plant with some general slow-release fertiliser and then every spring apply an organic based fertiliser such as blood and bone at a handful per square metre as new growth begins. In most gardens mint is best planted in a container as it can be quite invasive. Old gardeners used to suggest planting in a bucket as then the new growth wouldn't grow out of the pots drainage holes and continue to romp through the garden!

Mulch annually with an organic mulch to suppresses weeds and helps retain moisture. You can feed mint and that can be applied in early spring with a handful of blood and bone but on the whole, mint rarely needs much. It thrives on poor, dry soils. Remove old growth as it begins to look tatty and clip right back in autumn. Divide and replant to revitalise plants. This can be done in autumn to early winter and enables the new plants to establish while the soil remains relatively warm and the plants can then burst into life the following spring. Dividing can be achieved by lifting the whole clump and placing two garden forks back to back in the middle of the clump and then pushing in and forcing apart with the forks. The resulting clumps can then be divided further either with forks or by hand. The clumps should then be immediately re-planted in their new positions and watered in. Large clumps should be divided every 2-3 years. If they don't get divided, then the result is a clump that loses vigour and does not flower to its potential. A barren area in the centre of the clump will appear also with all the good growth around the outside.

Attracts pollinators and beneficial insects to the garden.

Powdery mildew can be a problem in the drier summer months. Rust can also be a problem in similar conditions.

Herb Garden