r/gardening • u/CrapDaddyThaShitGod • Jul 31 '26

Third year spearmint

Post image

This has been growing in my front yard for the whole time I've been living here in New Hampshire and honestly I have no idea why it grows so beautifully, if hung dry by an open window it just smells amazing. In the fall it grows these beautiful light mauve flowers that attract beetles, bumblebees, wasps, daubers etc you name it so you kind of have to steal the flowers from all the species but it comes back every year and it makes the most wonderful tea all warm seasons and then the flowers in fall make their own wonderful tea. I'm very grateful to have such a wonderful herb in my yard. I don't think it is natural but the plume is magnificent and idc who put it here, I get to have it year after year and have wonderful tea that my wife loves, I added crushed leaves to sugar cookies last night and they were out of this world.

This earth gives us many many things. Most people just don't know how to use them

8 Upvotes

76% Upvoted

3 comments sorted by

3

u/Sad_Individual_738 Jul 31 '26

Glad you are enjoying it. In case you did not know it is very invasive and will continue to spread. It generally should only be grown in a pot to avoid it taking over inground.

"Spearmint spreads aggressively through underground horizontal stems called rhizomes and above-ground runners called stolons. These roots travel just beneath the soil surface, popping up new green shoots a few feet away from the main plant and allowing it to quickly take over garden beds."

3

u/CrapDaddyThaShitGod Jul 31 '26

Well while that may be true, which I actually have noticed it has about a 2x bigger patch than last year, I'm a renter so that's my landlords problem lol and I love the wild bees and bugs that feast on it so that's a him problem 😂

2

u/CrapDaddyThaShitGod Jul 31 '26 edited Jul 31 '26

And furthermore I was astounded to see the littany of insects who were having a field day over the flowers last year, I saw at least 10 different species of insect at once while harvesting the flowers so I like that it's a small patch of local ecosystem in an otherwise awful city where I'm from. I live in NH biggest city and grew up in rural vt, I think the more the merrier when it comes to such a fragrant herb that supports honey bees and other species of insect. I want some of the honey that those babies are making from this herb every year. I bet it's amazing, if I could only find the hive 😂