Plant · P-592

Apple Mint

Mentha suaveolens

Apple Mint is a fast-spreading perennial with densely hairy, spearmint-flavored leaves, usually chopped into a dish or brewed as a tea rather than used whole as a garnish because of that texture. Its aroma repels insects and rodents, making it a common companion planting near cabbages and tomatoes, and once its runners close over the ground it works as a weed-suppressing cover. In hot summers it needs steady water rather than shelter - drought kills it well before heat does. It spreads so readily from root fragments that it colonizes any damp open ground it reaches, so it is usually grown behind a sunk barrier or hard edge unless that spread is exactly what is wanted.