What is the most invasive 'mint' variety

13 years ago

Spearmint vs peppermint vs applemint vs all the other mints which one of ALL do you consider to be the fastest spreading and most invasive?

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Comments (9)

fatamorgana2121
13 years ago
I find the closer to a "wild" a variety is, usually the more vigorous the plant. Named cultivars, variegation, and lots of extra breeding for some characteristic make plants less robust in my experience. Example, those "flavored" mints have croaked for me without so much as a wimper but your unnamed, generic mints persevere no matter what I do to them.

FataMorgana
lavender_lass
13 years ago
I've only planted spearmint so far, but I can't imagine any of the other ones being MORE invasive! LOL
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There are many, many threads about mint, a large number of which refer to varieties and their uses. There are about 600 different varieties, but to my mind there are 3 main ones. Spearmint is the most versatile - it's the one used to make tabouleh, and goes with potatoes and strawberries and watermelon and tomato (not in the garden, though!) and peas and lamb; which is used to make mint jelly and mint sauce. Peppermint is more dessert-y, used in confectionery, as a digestive tea or with chocolate. Apple mint - nice in an apple pie or in apple sauce to go with pork or ham. I also have a sneaking liking for eau-de-cologne mint - not for its flavour (which is awful, though the plant is edible), but for its perfume. If you stick with the main 3, you've got a mint for just about anything. You can add Lemon Balm (also a member of the mint family) if you need 'lemon-y'. Here is a link that might be useful: search results for 'mint'
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booboobolhuis
13 years ago
My Chocolate Mint is extremely invasive. It has vines trailing in every direction. I really should of planted it in a better spot.
bedtime
10 years ago
My chocolate mint is extremely evasive as well. Started with one plant and now have dozens within only a few months. Spearmint is extremely evasive as well.
nickl
10 years ago
:"Invasive" is a very broad term. However, considering that spearmint isn't native to NA but it's now found almost everywhere , I'd certainly call that "invasive"
aseedisapromise
10 years ago
I found a peppermint while hiking happily choking a spring in Arizona in the pine forest above the Mogollon Rim. Now that's getting around!
seysonn
10 years ago
INVASIVE BY ROOTS is really invasive. I do not consider multiplying by seeds to be invasive because one can simply pull them out just like we treat weeds . But you cannot do this with mints.

So I consider all mints that I know, INVASIVE. That is why it make sense to contain them in pot(s).
jll0306
10 years ago
I would have said Orange, before I got a chocolate mint..

The least rampant seems to be the Pear. All the others fall somewhere in between. ..but I'm just now starting to plant them in the ground in the places where I want them to go wild, so I can't say for sure. I THINK Orange may still win.
goodearth
10 years ago
Chocolate mint is a definite runner up (pun intended :o)

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What is the most invasive 'mint' variety

Comments (9)

fatamorgana2121

lavender_lass

Related Discussions

booboobolhuis

bedtime

nickl

aseedisapromise

seysonn

jll0306

goodearth

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