Water Mint, Mentha aquatica, 2 plants in 9 cm square pots
Water Mint (Mentha aquatica), a hardy perennial native to Britain, is as its name suggests, found in damp places like the side of ponds, streams and ditches. It has a potent minty smell of its own and can be used like the garden mints.
Its oval leaves, often covered in hairs, and the purplish colour of the stem with the purple extending into the leaf stalk and veins of the leaf, along with its distinctive smell, can help to distinguish it from other mints.
Value to Wildlife
Its flowers are attractive to butterflies, bees and other pollinating insects. There is usually a dome-shaped flower head at the end of a main stem consisting of numerous individual lilac purple flowers, with another bunch just beneath. There is another bunch at the axils of the first pair of leaves.
Your Purchase
You are buying two plants each in a 9 cm square pot, growing at our nursery in Cupar, Fife. Like garden mint they can spread rapidly and if kept in a garden pond are best grown in a large pot to prevent them from taking over. For maximum flowering they are best grown in a sunny, damp, location.