Mint (Choclate and Lemon Balm)

The Mint behind these red flowers is Chocolate Mint. I want to propagate more once I get some new runners.

I went a little crazy propagating Lemon Balm Mint. I now have it everywhere. It is so easy to propagate.

Lemon Balm Mint

The labels in these pots are old. The top pot is Sweet Mint, the second from the top is Chocolate Mint and the last two are Lemon Balm Mint.

These are all Lemon Balm Mint, except the one sitting on the table. That is Chocolate Mint. I have Spearmint on the other side of the post. 

Chocolate Mint (Herbs)

I bought a Chocolate Mint plant from the Nago Aquri Park greenhouse a few years ago, but it died. Today I found this plant at my local MakeMan for 298 Yen ($2.25) and had to have it. I planted it in a large planter so it grows wild and make it a point to propagate this plant. 

Mint

This Peppermint plant is one of the first Mint plants I started. It is perhaps two years old. I had it on my second floor balcony and forgot about it. When I noticed it there was just a small stub sticking out of the soil. I added some fertilizer and started to water it regularly and in a few weeks it started to grow. It has such a strong and wonderful Peppermint aroma and now starting to generate runners.

I started to propagated these Mint plants about two months ago and now that it is starting to get cool they are thriving. I propagate them by simply pinching off a piece of Mint from another plant and sticking it directly in the soil. I water it everyday for about 10 days or whenever I notice it starting to wilt. Top down (Spearmint, Apple Mint, Apple Mint, Spearmint).

Top down (Aztec Sweet Mint, Strawberry Mint, Chocolate Mint, Spearmint, Cool Mint).

This is a spare planter I had sitting around that has Sage, Cool Mint and Spearmint). 

This container has Cool Mint in it. I thought it all died and was going to repurpose the container. I moved the container to a different area that got rain and the plants started to grow new leaves. 

I sat a container of Cool Mint inside another larger container to make space and forgot about it. The roots have grow through the bottom of the container and went crazy. I use this plant primarily for tea since it has so much and grows back quickly.

I moved my Herb Pole to the side of my house and now only grow Mint. I'm growing Apple Mint, Banana Mint, Strawberry Mint, Mojito Mint and Spearmint here.

This is the other side. 

Herbs (Mint)

I added two more Mint verities to my collection. One is Peppermint, which I used to have but died. The other is not a traditional Mint, but rather an herb called Plectranthus, Cerveza 'n Lime, Mexican Mint, Indian Mint and more; however, I like Mexican Mint and will include it in my collection. It looks similar to Marjoram, but the aroma is so different. Plectranthus is an herb with a pungent Orange aroma and used in a verity of dishes. I cannot describe how wonderful it smells. 

Mexican Mint

Peppermint

Herbs (Mint)

I love Mint and working to collect as many types as I can. Most Mint plants have the typical Mint flavor, but different aromas (Apple, Banana, Chocolate, Spearmint, ect); however, there are some exceptions. The Aztec Sweet Mint does not have that minty flavor, but is super sweet. I used to have Mojito, Orange and Cologne Mint plants, but they died. I will try and grow Mojito and Orange again, but not Cologne. It really tastes like Cologne. There are some many aromas out there. I will keep searching.  

  Apple Mint

Aztec Sweet Mint

Banana Mint

Chocolate Mint

Cool Mint

Spearmint

Strawberry Mint

Aztec Sweet Herb (Phyla Dulcis, Lippia Dulcis, Mayan Mint)

 

I found a new and interesting herb at the local farmers market, called Phyla Dulcis (also known as Aztec Sweet Herb, Lippia Dulcis, Mayan Mint, and more). Though it is a perennial mint, I will refer to it as Aztec Sweet Herb due to its amazing property. This herb does not have the typical mint flavor, but is amazingly sweet and said to be 1,500 times sweeter than sugar. It is used in salads, added to smoothies or just chewed. It is used as a sugar substitute in many countries and used to treat colds or persistent coughs. It's native to Venezuela, Colombia, Central America, the Caribbean and Southern Mexico. It is not a particularly hardy plant and cannot tolerate the frost, but makes it a great plant for my region since the coldest it has ever gotten here is 7C (45F).

I purchased this at the farmers market as a consumable for 100 Yen (95 cents), but will try and propagate it. The stems are really short so planted some directly in the soil and some in water. Above are some of the cuttings I planted directly in the soil six days ago. This herb generally prefers sandy or lava type soil, but can thrive in more fertile soil that drains well, not over watered and exposed to 3-4 hours of sunlight a day.

After six days the cuttings I placed in water are starting to grow roots. 

Herbs (Mint)

Had a really nice surprise recently. I found a Mint plant in one of my planters that I thought had died months ago. I just transplanted it and going to find a safe place to spoil it so it stays healthy and grows tall and strong. 

Herbs (Mint)

I picked up a mint plant a few weeks ago. I love mint and will try and propagate it, but it seems to be growing slowly. I took a clipping and have it in water. I can see some roots, so suspect it is doing fine.