spearmint
Mentha spicata
USDA zones5 to 9
SunHandles full sun to partial sun
WaterHandles dry to wet soil
Size12 to 24 inches tall12 to 24 inches wide
- Growth rate
- Rapid
- Habit
- Creeping
- Bloom season
- Summer, autumn
- Bloom color
- Pink, white
- Foliage color
- Green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Spearmint (Mentha spicata) is an herb for food gardens, containers, and pollinator gardens. It is hardy to USDA zone 5, or down to -20°F (-29°C). This plant likes full or part sun and dry to wet, sandy, loamy, or clay soil. It grows fast and spreads by creeping, so a container keeps it in bounds. Pink or white flowers open in summer and again in autumn, and butterflies and bees visit them. Deer and rabbits tend to pass it by.
Pairs well with Wild bergamot, Black-eyed Susan, and Switchgrass.
Native range
Europe to China.