How mint has not taken over the world I do not know. Everyone knows not to plant it in the ground unless you are ready to surrender the entire yard to this rambunctious herb, but even contained, it is still a bully. A friend brought me a small pot of it for some cooking we were doing and I stuck it in the ground in a planter on the side of the kitchen. Not much else was growing there and I pretty much forgot about it. The other day I was marveling at this beautiful Spanish lavender with the white carpet roses and noticed something mixed in the combination. Sure enough that mint had marched right down the side planter and is threatening to take over this whole area too! Time to get out the hoe!
Monday, April 19, 2010
Beware of Mint
How mint has not taken over the world I do not know. Everyone knows not to plant it in the ground unless you are ready to surrender the entire yard to this rambunctious herb, but even contained, it is still a bully. A friend brought me a small pot of it for some cooking we were doing and I stuck it in the ground in a planter on the side of the kitchen. Not much else was growing there and I pretty much forgot about it. The other day I was marveling at this beautiful Spanish lavender with the white carpet roses and noticed something mixed in the combination. Sure enough that mint had marched right down the side planter and is threatening to take over this whole area too! Time to get out the hoe!
Note to self: plant mint only inside a bunker. Got it.
ReplyDeleteI made the mistake big time two years ago in a raised bed and I am still paying for it. Never again even in pots!
ReplyDeleteI have some melissa in a pot and watch for its seedlings all the time. I love your picture, Sheila!
ReplyDeleteI let my non-gardenign wife plant some chocoalte mint. Yikes. I don't think an atom bomb could get rid of it all.
ReplyDeleteI love that spanish lavender! That purple color is so rich! Will remember about the mint if I ever decide to grow some :) Thanks for the info.
ReplyDeleteBeen there done that! Mint should come with a warning attached.
ReplyDeleteI had to laugh when I saw the title "Beware of Mint" I thought "that mint blooms just like lavender, what kind is it, I want some"; ha, joke's on me!
Mint is just too crazy. I love it but I think it should only be planted in a pot that is sitting on a paved surface at a minimum of 10m away from any soil. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteOur daughter was married in our back yard 2 years ago. We planted the herb center pieces. I've digging mint out of the garden ever since. You know, it does look cute. jim
ReplyDeleteI have a few mints in raised beds, but after that picture, I'm rethinking my strategy. I'd better find the hoe...just as soon as the snow melts.
ReplyDeleteChristine in Alaska
It is a pushy plant~and I have never planted it in the garden~I do have its cousins monarda and melissa! They aren't pushovers either! gail
ReplyDeleteI feel I NEED mint - I use it frequently: mint sauce for lamb, mint tea, a few leaves in a pan of simmering peas, etc. I grow it in a raised bed and pull ALL of it out at the end of the gardening season. Of course, some sprigs always appear next spring ...
ReplyDeleteMint really does go crazy once it's in the ground. I hope you can get it out of the bed, hopefully you found it early enough.
ReplyDeleteSo true! I was just looking at some today that has popped up again this spring 4 years after the previous owner of our property planted it. Yes, I think it will take a bomb to get rid of it! LOL
ReplyDeleteAnd the smell! A whiff of mint from a leaf or two is lovely, but when handling the plant and roots, the mint odor is overpowering. After digging mine up (same story as all the other commenters!) I could not get the strong mint smell off my gloves or clothes for days. Like the plant itself, the smell just doesn't go away.
ReplyDeleteI am hard of hearing/learning/reading. I planted mine anyway. It has taken over the corner of the yard nicely. If it threatens to move elsewhere, it will be gone. In the meantime, I love my mint - even in the ground!
ReplyDeleteGood luck getting it out permanently! I've removed mine a couple of times. It's still going gangbusters. It's even growing out of the side of my compost pile!
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