by Lydia Holley June 29, 2020
Although I would now hate for my garden to be without narrowleaf mountain mint, I have twice been afraid of this particular plant. I was first afraid of narrowleaf mountain mint when I purchased it. With mint in its common name, I was worried it might behave like a true mint. After all, it is in the mint family, has square stems, and its crushed leaves emit a minty scent.
Anyone that has grown mint can tell you it will spread throughout the garden, across the driveway, and into the surrounding subdivision. Well, maybe not quite, but close. My fear that narrowleaf mountain mint may be just as aggressive almost made me pass on purchasing it. Almost. Gardeners are brave like that.
Because of my concerns, I kept a close eye on my new plant. To my delight, it has not behaved like its distant cousins in the Mentha genus. Instead, it has slowly spread to a thick, nice-sized clump.
The second time I was afraid of narrowleaf mountain mint was this spring when it was in full bloom. That is because every flower was covered with pollinators. So many, I was uncertain of some of their identities. I avoided going near it, letting the various winged and buzzing creatures share a meal together in peace. Most in the crowd probably would not have stopped feeding to bother me, but I felt it best to play it safe.
Native bees such as sweat bees, miner bees, green metallic bees, bumble bees and carpenter bees along with European honeybees flocked to this plant. Wasps and yellowjackets also visited, and several syrphid flies, whose larva feeds on aphids. I have never seen such a diverse mix on one plant.
Now that its flowers are almost gone, I can once again enjoy its mint-flavored leaves in my tea. While there are several different species of mountain mint, narrowleaf mountain mint, Pycnanthemum tenuifolium, is native to East Texas. It is also easy to grow, since it is not particular about its growing conditions. It thrives in full sun or part shade, in wet or dry soil, and from rocky to woodland conditions. Because of its minty flavor, deer will usually avoid it. Or perhaps they are afraid of it.
For more information, call 903-675-6130, email hendersonCMGA@gmail.com.
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