Mint

Q. I have a Candy Apple mint plant. I would like to know how to take care of them and what I can use these in or for.

A. Let's start with a little history of mint! In the Middle Ages you would find mint in most monastery gardens. It was used to cure mouth sores whiten teeth heal dog bites and wasp stings and used in preventing milk from curdling. It repels mice and rats too.

The Romans believed that by eating mint you have an increased intelligence level and have relief from headaches. They rubbed tabletops with mint for it symbolized hospitality.

The scent of mint was supposed to help relieve people from a bad temper. And in California the University shows that it increases concentration! Some companies in Japan pipe mint oil through the a/c system to invigorate workers increasing productivity!

The name for mint is "Mentha" All mints are perennials and most need a moist soil with sun to partly shade; however they grow in most shade too. Most mints produce seeds but it may not be the same variety as you started with so propagate by division root cuttings or runners.

Growing mint has to be one of the easiest tasks of gardening. Plant it in shade or some sun ignore it but contain it or the roots will spread wherever they like. They need water from time to time and hardly any food. Pests do not care for the tissue taste.

Most mints grow to be about 6-12" tall. Garden centers may carry a variety of about 12 different common mints. Some varieties are:

Spearmint (Mentha x spicata) associated with chewing gum. It has been used in healing kidney inflammations.

Curly Mint-a form of spearmint which has curly bright green leaves which is used a lot in mint sauces.

Horsemint-Mentha alopecurioides-grows to be 6-7 feet tall and is the earliest known mint to be used for medicinal purposes. It was simmered in vinegar to cure dandruff in Medieval Times.

Watermint-Mentha aquatica-is a low growing mint found often in England. It needs semi-shade and was used in the Middle Ages as a strewing herb. It grows to be about 39" tall.

Pennyroyal-also known as creeping mint-Mentha saturelioides-is a Native Australian mint used in repelling fleas and flies and bed bugs.

Forest Mint Slender Mint and River Mint are also Native Australian Mints.

Other mints that are fairly common include: round leaf mint red mint lemon mint ginger mint Egyptian mint Corsican mint camphor mint peppermint bergamot lavender mint basil mint Vietnamese mint white peppermint