Mints, more than just peppermint and spearmint

Which mints do you have, which are your favorites and which do you want?

Also, if anyone has banana mint - does it really smell like banana?

I have always loved spearmint since I was a kid! But I like the look of pineapple mint and I love the smell of chocolate mint. Picture is of choc mint. I'd like to learn about others, so look forward to everyone sharing comments and pics of their mints.

That's beautiful bariolio. I've read on here about putting them in hanging baskets but I've never seen a picture before. I agree with you on Spearmint. It's my mom's favorite and I recall her growing it when I was a kid so it's definitely my favorite.

I have some established peppermint and pineapple mint. Then I received some applemint, orange mint, spearmint and chocolate mint rooted plants via the houseplant swap. I'm hoping to add Banana and Ginger next.

I love mints! And herbs. It's funny that I don't cook, but I collect these fragrant plants simply because I enjoy their fragrance when I walk by them.

I have A LOT of mints:

Chocolate - one of my faves, a must have for any chocoholic!
Orange - OMG it's incredible
Blackberry - love it, smells a bit like chocolate and something else
Ginger - awesome
Spice - Mmmmm, doesn't really smell spicy to me
Pineapple - beautiful
Julia's Sweet Citrus - light citrus fragrance
Spearmint - of course
Cocoa - Strong scent, kinda chocolatey
Julep - Nice spicy scent
Silver - grayish leaves, but the fragrance makes me sick. I've almost ripped all of it out
Unknown mint that is a special one--thought it died and pulled out its tag so don't know who it is now

The silver mint I'm trying to get rid of. I ripped tons of it out last year but more have come up this year. I've traded what I've found so far, but I'm sure I haven't seen the last of it yet.

I had apple mint and it was another that didn't impress me.

I'd love to get some lavender mint, banana mint, lemon mint, and a few others. I'm also into basils this year and have had trouble finding anything other than the regular basil. I'm looking for cinnamon, lemon and lime basils too. You can always find me nose deep in my herbs, with a goofy grin on my face. I love 'em like a cat loves catnip. LOL

ButterflyChaser, if you don't mind starting Basil from seed I have a few extras I can send you. If you're interested please dmail me. You should see my living room window, I have about 10 basil plants started from seed. I have more than just sweet basil.

I've requested Banana Mint through my favorite nursery and if they find it they'll order me some. I hope they do. I totally forgot to add Ginger Mint to the list as well so I emailed them this evening.

I've never heard of Cocoa or Blackberry before. I've recently added Candy and Sweet Pear to my wishlist. I don't dare recheck richters or I'll have an even longer list lol.

I have lavender mint. Got plants from two different sources. One really does smell of lavender, the other, not so much. It will be interesting to see/smell how they come up this year. Love chocolate mint. And Kentucky Colonel spearmint.

I have:

Spearmint: Kentucky Colonel - Supposed to be incredible for tea.

Spearmint Julep - LOVE the scent, havent gotten a chance to try it yet really as was new last year, but coming up great this year!

Orange mint - Smells & looks great! Heard it's great for tea as well!

Chocolate mint - the smell of it is incredible. Just like a york peppermint patty!

Generic peppermint
Generic spearmint

Ginger mint - almost died, and is in the little plant's hospital lol.

Apple mint - makes great tea! Lovely sweet aromatic foliage!

I am willing to trade for anything I don't have, and would adore a mint swap if anyone is interested x,x.

I would certainly be willing to trade stuff from my trade list as well!

Quite a while back, I had spearmint and orange mint in the same pot. The spearmint won. :) It literally took over the pot as time went on. I don't need one more plant but yall are REALLY making me want to collect these different mints!

Tikipod, thank you so much for the offer of seeds. I have lots of seeds, but I just haven't had time to bother with them. But while I was writing this email, a new friend of mine has gotten into growing from seeds like crazy! He tickles me. We met here on Daves actually. He just called and said he'd grow my seeds for us. He also loves propagating by cuttings and I don't. So he's going to take cuttings of some of the things I ahve too.

I'm one of those "instant gratification" gals. I want it NOW. I don't want to wait for it to sprout. I'm so happy to have a new friend who will do the part I have no patience for. His Mother-in-law used to propagate roses by cuttings. I'm hoping we can get her back into that. I have several roses I'd love duplicates of.

I too am willing to trade some of my proflific mints for perennials, climbing roses for wedding garden, named hardy hibiscus, or butterfly bushes that I don't have.

The mints I can share currently are:

spice (have lots, so you'll get a good sized hunk - not some little sprig)
blackberry (have lots, so again, you'll get a good sized hunk)
ginger - small rooted starts, it has just come up and is barely an inch tall while my others are already 6 or 8 or even 12 inches
silver - small amount
Julia's sweet citrus - limited quantity
a mint I lost the tag to - not spearmint or peppermint, one of the exotic mints I collected, thought it died, along with others, pulled the tags, then this one came back up.
Lemon Balm - not really a mint - but I love the lemon scent - have lots

I also have named daylilies to trade if anyone is interested.

Most of my other mints are either new or not prolific yet. If seriously interested, I MIGHT be able to get you a small rooted start of one of them though.

I'm looking for well-rooted plant as well--no cuttings or seeds. They don't have to be big plants, just well-rooted so I don't have to baby them for weeks before planting.

Lady Ashley, Ginger mint seems to be a bit more fragile than the other mints, doesn't it. Mine has some beautiful yellow variegation here and there. Usually variegation is the result of a virus being introduced to create the variegation. So it could be that this little mint is just stressed from the virus. I think it grows out of it once it gets bigger and stronger, but it sure gets off to a slow start each year for me. And then suddenly I'm overrun with it. What a delightful fragrance!!

This message was edited May 8, 2011 9:28 AM

I really really hope the nursery will be able to find Ginger and Banana for me. I'm requesting 2 plants of each ^_^ I found two sellers on Etsy and Ebay who sell others.

I have :
Kentucky Colonel spearmint (my favorite for cooking, and makes wonderful mojitos)
Pineapple mint
Apple mint (new to me this year)
Chocolate mint (smells incredible)
Orange mint

I'd love to find blackberry mint or ginger mint. Does anyone have a source to order from?

Ebay? lol

mom2goldens, you might want to check ButterflyChaser's list and see if you have anything she's looking for. It looks like she has those two mints on her willing to trade list. For online sources:
Richters
There is a seller on Ebay who sells several types of mint on one list - there is a drop down list.
There is a seller on Etsy who sells sweet pear and candy mint, along with others.

Hmmmm, Banana Mint!

I love the mints, too. I have:

Mojito
Pineapple
Marshmallow
Candy Lime
Julias Sweet Citrus
Pink Candypops (pretty!)
Sweet Pear
Cotton Candy
Jim's Fruit
Berries and Cream
Iced Hazelnut
Wild Berries

Edited to say, my favorite thing to do with the mints is give the grandkids a chunk of Bazooka gum, and let them pick mints to chew with it.



This message was edited May 15, 2011 8:54 PM

Nice everyone! Where do you guys get your fancier mints?

Added a few more mints:
dark green/red peppermint and spearmint
Ginger mint - nursery found me two plants

Some of the nurseries around here are beginning to get some different mints in. I ordered some on Ebay last year, can't remember the seller's name. But they were teeny tiny, just a rooted sprig. I think I paid $5 each for them and I was so disappointed. Of course they died promptly.

I'd love to trade some of my mints for some unusual basils. Are there any hardy basils? I grew three or four different ones last year but they died over winter. My oregano is still going though. I only have sweet basil and Italian basil. Does anyone have any cinnamon, lemon or purple basils? I've got mints! :-)

I purchased many of mine from kathy_ann here on DG. She was having a sale on the classified a few years ago. I don't know if she still sells them or not. They were excellent!

Tikipod, I would be up for a trade for some of mine, but it's going to have to be in the fall. I have a business and spring is for digging irises. But let me know if you would like to trade then :)

Butterfly youd love my window sill. I have 12 basil plants there and all but two I grew from seed. I'm germinating a bunch more seeds now hehe.

Mmmmm, tikipod, are you gonna share? What kind are you growing? I have seeds for lemon, cinnamon, and lime I think, but no time to bother with them this year. If I send you some, can you start me some to send back to me with our trade next month? Of course you can keep most of what you start; I just need a 3 or 4 of each kind. Interested?

Sounds good pollyk. Hopefully I'll have both ginger and banana mint to share.

I wish I could ID this new spearmint. I've never seen dark green before. i thought it was that dark green peppermint mislabeled because my sniffer was out at the time. Snapped some runners off for a friend and it was the strongest spearmint I've ever smelled

Wonderful, I would love some of each of those. Will you remember to contact me, or how shall we work it?

PollyK My memory is horrible but I'll try to remember. I'll use the power of post-its and tradetracker to remind me lol. If the nursery can't find Banana Mint I plan to order it online.

Oh Butterfly, I don't think I have a lot of Basil seeds ... I certainly don't have a problem with basil (or an addiction or anything ...) lol Here is what I have:

Seed - Sweet Basil, Genovese, Mammoth, Dark Opal, Purple Ruffles, Red Rubin, Mrs Burns Lemon, Lemon, Summerlong, Cinnamon, Thai, Siam Queen, Lemon-Lime Mix, Purple Basil, Fineleaf Dwarf Bush, Spicy Globe Bush, Pistou, Greek Miniature and Podster's Flea Market Basil
Plants - Magic Mountain and Floral Spires Lavender

OMG, girl! Now I'll have to find something to trade you for some of that! LOL Holy Moly, I bet your window sill smells divine!

Thanks, Tikipod.

Ahhh ~ y'all are going to create a monster here in the ButterflyChaser. She does not have a chance... doomed. LOL

I had been entertained following this minty thread. I don't have any exotic mints but was enjoying following all of your mint lusts.
I do also like the basils. Of course not to the extreme that Tikipod does. 8 )

If there is a perennial basil, I would think the flea market basil would be close to it. The stem gets woody with age. In a milder climate it probably would come back from roots. I may try leaving one in the ground this winter to see.

It has a sweet clove like fragrance and it most closely resembles the African blue basil. Tikipod pointed out that African blue is sterile but these seeds germinate. Basils are prone to intermingle freely. These seeds may well have evolved to the flea market basil. It has pretty purple tinged foliage with pretty purple blooms too.

I started Pistou seed saved from last year and as the plants are leafing out, I see a few of the plants have leaves that are marginally larger than the original pistou. Same delightful taste just slightly different in appearance. Another basil perversion.

Anyway, I still have some seed left if anyone has an urge for basils...

I am a touchy, feely, smelling gardener and this year have a rootbeer agastache that make my tastebuds water as I think of a large frosty mug. Life in the garden is good!

Now Pod, if you can get into basils, I think mints are the next step for you. What do you say, Ladies? We can't let her sit over there content in her mintless paradise, can we?? We've really got to infect her!!

Basils are wonderful, there's no doubt about it. I think cinnamon basil is my very favorite. I buy it every year, but this year I can't find it. I have seeds, but no time to baby them. But mints are wonderful too, Pod. OMG there are so many varieties and each smells different. I'm not sure I could pick a favorite. Chocolate is definitely on top of the list (says the chocoholic). Orange and Lavender mints are amazing too! Margarita is nice, and the fruity ones make me crave a fruit smoothie.

And for someone who loves the fragrance in the garden, nothing is better than mint...except maybe cinnamon basil. LOL Just brush by the plants and you can release their fragrances. Think of all the teas, smoothies, and exotic drinks you could make with different mints.

That rootbeer agastache sounds delicious. Do you really make rootbeer with it?

Basil seeds germinate quickly ~ plant them ~ FAST! lol
I agree on the cinnamon basil but this year, licorice basil is bumping my favorite spot. It smells even better if you love all things licorice (and I do).

I don't think a person actually does anything with the rootbeer agastache except sniff it and enjoy the blooms. Mine hasn't blossomed yet.

I have an assortment of the common mints. Also have had orange and pineapple and apple and... I agree, I do like them but am not a big chocolate fan. Now plain vanilla mint might appeal to me. Is there such a critter?

*whines* I can't find root beer agastache locally!! OK I'm done whining lol.

Technically Basil and Agastache ARE in the Lamiaceae 'Mint' family.

Another one that is kinfolk that I love ~ lemon balm.

Patience *whines*, if I can harvest seed, I will share.

Yep, I love lemon balm too and have a huge stand of it. I love knocking it around to stir up the scent.

And yours is perennial? Or does it reseed?

Both. It returns from root and starts new plants from seeds. So one clump of it is now huge and wonderful and there are little seedlings popping up here and there which I give away. Do you need some, Pod?

No ~ thanks. I keep a pot of lemon balm. Potted is easier for me to provide moisture and I move it into the GH in winter.

Please, keep trying to tempt me. I don't have a ton of herbs but have been growing them for a while. 8 )

Well, I did it. I could not resist any longer! Someone gave a link to Richter's and I ended up ordering banana mint and "Candy Lime" mint, among other items. I had to pare down my list when I went to check out and saw the shipping charge! I'm also excited about the rainbow chard seeds--so beautiful! Now I'll have to decide where I'm going to put my new plants. I was gone for 4 days and my choc mint in the hanging basket didn't get watered. It was VERY sad when I got home. We need to organize some plant sitter swaps! Maybe I'll do that in the Houston area...
Tikipod--dark green and red mints? That sounds beautiful. Can you post a picture?
PollyK--my initial order contained lots of the same mints as you listed. Maybe I'll collect them a little at a time, so as to be affordable! I want the all the fruit scents and cotton candy and other candy ones!

You want more chocolate mints, bariolio? I just had to trim mine, so...

Barilio, if you let me know which ones you got, and give me a yell in the fall, I'll see if there are any I have that you don't, and you can have them for postage.

Thanks for the offer, KyWoods. The choc mint is recovering! It'll just need to be watered every day until it gets cool again.
PollyK, I just ordered the banana mint and candy lime mint for now. I also have the choc mint and pineapple and spearmint. Thanks for offering to share this fall. I'll let ya know!

My fingers smell like chocolate-pepper-spear-pineapple mint from picking aphids off my mint collection.

To all those who own applemint, does it come up curly? I received several types of mint runners in a swap and they are all starting to really grow. Most look and smell fine but half of the applemints are curly leaves, much like curly mint.

For some reason I thought I recalled seeing a file for "curly apple mint" but I can't find it now.
None of my apple mint is curly.



This message was edited May 23, 2011 6:37 PM

howdy!

I bought some spearmint from my local nursery. think it was a bonnie plant spearmint. It is variegated color. really pretty. have it in a small coir/wire hanging basket. doesn't seem as perky as the lemon balm i put in a different coir/wire hanging basket. will probably get more mints as i come by them. store really didn't have much.

where do i find all these cool chocolate/orange/apple mints and stuff? awesome!