Zone: 5 to 10
Soil: sand to loam
Light: Full sun to part sun
Bloom colour: White to lavender
Bloom period: Late July to October
Height: 1 - 2 feet
Moisture: Dry to medium
Attracts: Many bees and other insects
Notes: If you are unable to get mountain mints, you might be able to get Lesser Calamint from your local garden centre. It has escaped into the wild in some regions of United States and therefore you should only plant it in managed gardens.
It has an exceptionally long bloom period and when many other plants are starting to wither, bees can continue to collect nectar from this plant. Digger wasps also like Calamints. In fact, this plant en masse will attract an enormous range of insects. In my own garden, this plant has the highest bee density of any plant.
As a garden plant it is a great for edging due to its low height or you can place it in a rock garden. It is not very effective as a specimen plant due to its small size. The flowers are also small so you need to plant a minimum of 4 or five plants together to make an impact. It survives drought quite well, but the lower leaves fall off and limited watering will prevent this. It can grow in clay, but it may not overwinter as it prefers well-drained soils.
In addition to everything else, it is a member of the mint family and has a truly mint flavour that can be used for cooking. It is a native of the Mediterranean where it is a popular herb. |
