Apple mint

Apple mint: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Sturdy perennial about 80 cm tall and wide, with upright, square stems that spread by runners.

Leaves

Round to oval, 2–5 cm, crinkled and softly hairy (woolly), grey-green with a toothed edge. A variegated form, ‘Variegata’, also exists.

Flowers

Dense spikes of small white to pale pink flowers, from July to September.

Scent and flavour

Mild, fruity and sweet, with a hint of apple; less sharp than peppermint.

Roots

Creeping rhizomes and runners with which it spreads sideways.

Flowering: July–September · Harvest and fruit: May–September · Plants: March–May and September · Pruning: March and July

Why grow it?

• Mild, fruity mint leaves for drinks, fruit salads, yoghurt sauces and tea: less sharp than peppermint.
• The flower spikes in July–September attract bees and butterflies.
• Attractive, softly hairy, grey-green foliage that smells pleasant when you touch it.
• Fully hardy, to about −25 °C, and returns every spring.
• Easy to grow in a pot on the terrace, on the windowsill or in the herb garden.

Apple mint: where does it grow best?

• Sun to part shade; in the sun the scent is strongest, in part shade the leaves stay softer.
• Humus-rich, moisture-retentive soil: sand, loam or clay, acid to chalky.
• Moderately moist to moist; it does not like drying out, but does not like wet roots either.
• Sheltered from strong wind, so the stems do not snap.
• Plant it in a pot, or in a bottomless bucket or root barrier 30–40 cm deep, so it does not roam through the garden.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand, loam or clay

Acidity

Not fussy

Moisture

Normal or wet

Size

0.8 m tall, 0.8 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -25 °C)

Goes well with

• Chives: Fits in the same herb container and likes the same moist soil.
• Bergamot: Flowers at the same time, attracts bees and also likes moist soil.
• Lemon balm: A second fragrant herb for tea and drinks; plant the two in separate pots.

Apple mint: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–May and September.

1. Plant in March–May or in September, when the soil is not frozen.
2. Dig a hole twice as wide as the pot and mix in a few spadefuls of compost.
3. Set the plant at the same depth as in the pot, preferably in a pot or an edged bed so it does not spread.
4. Firm the soil and water generously straight away.
5. Spread a layer of compost or bark mulch around the plant to keep the soil moist.

Care

Water

Regularly in dry spells, especially in a pot; keep the soil lightly moist. Water in the morning at the base, not over the leaves.

Feeding

In spring, a layer of compost. In a pot, a little liquid plant feed every 4 weeks from May to August.

Harvesting

From May to September pinch out the tips regularly: this keeps it compact and gives new leaves. The leaves taste best before flowering.

Rejuvenating

Divide the plant every 3 years and replant a piece with young roots in fresh soil; an old clump gets floppy and bare.

Runners

Cut off runners that grow outside the bed or pot and keep an eye on the boundary.

Tip: Plant it in a pot or a bottomless bucket and cut it back to 5–10 cm after flowering, in July, for a fresh crop. The leaves taste best before flowering.

Apple mint: when to prune it?

Pruning months: March and July.

When: In March cut away the old stems; during the growing season pinch out the tips regularly, and after flowering in July–August you can cut everything back to 5–10 cm.

How:

• In March cut last year’s dead stems to just above the ground.
• During the season cut the tips just above a pair of leaves; it then branches and produces new leaves.
• In July–August, after flowering, cut the stems back to 5–10 cm: this gives a fresh new crop.
• Keep runners that grow outside the pot or bed short.

Caution: For a bee-friendly plant, leave a few stems to flower for the insects, but cut the rest back.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Division

In March–April or in September, split off a piece of the plant with roots and set it in fresh soil. Water until it has taken.

Cuttings

During the growing season cut a 10 cm stem below a node, remove the lower leaves and stand it in a glass of water: roots form in 1–2 weeks. Then pot up.

Apple mint: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −25 °C.

• Fully hardy, to about −25 °C: the stems die back and it shoots again in spring.
• Cut the stems to just above the ground and spread a thin layer of compost or leaves over the roots.
• In a pot: stand it against the wall and wrap the pot in hessian or bubble wrap so the roots do not freeze.
• Want leaves in winter? In October pot up a piece of plant and put it on a bright, cool windowsill.

Diseases and pests

• Mint rust: Orange, powdery pustules under the leaves in damp summers. Cut off affected stems, put them in the household waste and cut the plant to the ground. Replant it in a new spot.
• Mint beetle: Shiny, metallic-green little beetles and holes in the leaves. Pick them off and cut off badly affected stems.
• Powdery mildew: White powder on the leaves in dry weather or poor air flow. Water, thin out and cut off affected stems.
• Floppy, bare clump: An old clump gets floppy. Divide it and replant young pieces in fresh soil with compost.

Through the year

• March: Cut away dead stems. Divide and plant.
• April: Plant. Apply mulch.
• May: Plant. Start harvesting.
• June: Pinch out tips for a compact plant.
• July: Flowering. After flowering, cut back to 5–10 cm.
• August: Harvest new shoots. Water in dry spells.
• September: Plant or divide. Last harvest.
• October: Pot up a piece for the windowsill.
• November: Cut away stems. Protect the pot.
• December: Rest.

Edible and useful

Leaves (May–September)

Pick the soft, downy tips from May to September; they are best before flowering. Apple mint has round, hairy leaves and a mild, fruity mint flavour with a hint of apple. Less sharp than peppermint, it is lovely in lemonade, fruit salad, tabbouleh and tea. Chop it finely, as the hairs feel a little rough when raw.

Storing

Fresh, a few days in a glass of water. It dries like other mints, hung upside down in small bunches; the thick, downy leaves take a little longer. Keep the dried leaves whole in a closed jar in the dark, for up to a year.

Caution: Apple mint spreads even more vigorously than other mints: grow it in a large pot. People with heartburn sometimes tolerate a lot of mint poorly. Do not confuse it with pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium), a small mint with a pungent smell, which is poisonous. Never eat anything you have not identified with certainty.

Eating and using is at your own risk: see the terms of use.

Recipes

• Apple mint lemonade (Sap · ± 1.5 litres · 15 min + 2 hrs steeping)
• Tabbouleh with apple mint and parsley (Dish · 4 people · 30 min)

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Butterflies

Nectar for butterflies.

Did you know?

• The species name suaveolens is Latin for ‘sweet-smelling’.
• The variegated form ‘Variegata’ is called pineapple mint, after its fruity scent.
• All mints have square stems: a feature of the mint family (Lamiaceae).