Mentha suaveolens 'Apple Mint'

Lamiaceae: an extremely aromatic perennial to 70cm that smells distinctly of apples. It has both creeping and upright stems, and the whole plant especially the undersides of the leaves, has a thick coat of woolly hairs. Found in damp, grassy places. The flowers are 3-4mm long, lilac, in dense spikes, blooming from July-September. The oval to rounded hairy and wrinkled. Native in the west of Britain, but also found as a garden escape elsewhere. Native to South and Western Europe, north to the Netherlands and east into Western Asia.

USES:

The leaves are used raw or cooked as a potherb, and used as a flavouring in salads or cooked foods. The leaves have a similar flavour to spearmint, and are considered to be superior in flavour to that species but are also hairy, which makes them less suitable for garnishing. An herb tea is made from the leaves.

Round leafed mint, like many other members of this genus, is often used as a domestic herbal remedy, being valued especially for its antiseptic properties and its beneficial effect on the digestion. Like other members of the genus.  A tea made from the leaves of most mint species has traditionally been used in the treatment of fevers, headaches, digestive disorders and various minor ailments.

An essential oil is obtained from the whole plant. Rats and mice are said to intensely dislike the smell of mint.

GROWING INFORMATION:

Surface sow seeds in spring in a cold frame, germination is usually fairly quick. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out in the summer. A very easily grown plant, it succeeds in most soils and situations so long as the soil is not too dry. The flowers are very attractive to bees and butterflies.

HARVESTED: 
 
APPROX.  300+ SEEDS