A large portion of the pollinators attracted seem to be wasps. I wonder if the plant benefits vegetable gardens by attracting wasps to predate on garden pests.
That may very well be the case. I've got to say that I've only ever seen one tomato worm in my veggie garden, and I only noticed it because of the wasp eggs on it........I will also say that as you increase your diversity, you do attract a diverse array of predators. I've been seeing robber flys regularly for several years now. I even had a juvenile on my finger the other day.
Absolutely it does, I have seen wasps dragging paralyzed grasshoppers to their burrow and they are the same species of wasps feeding on my commercial species of mint.
Thanks for sharing - I've not dug into the specific of the volatile compounds on this plant. Just read a few surveys and obviously smelled it many times myself.
I planted this last year and it’s just buzzing with pollinators right now. It attracts lots of honeybees, and like Joe said, lots of bees and wasps that I haven’t seen on any other plant. I’m having fun trying to identify them all.
Excellent plant and video for its support. Add groundhogs to the list of animals that dislike it. I’m using mountain mint as a protection for persimmon seedlings in an area of high deer density. It’s working! The deer will thank me when the persimmon trees drop their fruit in 6 years.
@@growitbuildit Thanks for your reply. Using wood chips to cover persimmon and pawpaw seeds creates a perfect habit for germination. Also we used to put persimmon seeds in our compost pile that eventually went around our tomato plants. We stopped when all those seeds turned to seedlings. This year I placed the seeds near a chipmunk burrow and they keep disappearing. 😁 Time will tell.
I am pretty sure this is the plant I have been looking for for about 2 years. I came across a bush with green, almost daisy-like flower buds and absolutely covered with bees and wasps. I mean COVERED. I didn't scrunch or rub the leaves, so I didn't catch the mint hint at the time. Thank you for featuring this plant! 💚
Hi Bowser - I have none in the garden right now. I really haven't even researched this genus much. I would need to locate some seed first. Possibly P. mistassinica as that is adjacent to where I live. But as of now, there is nothing in the works.
Excellent video of the pollinators. I planted mountain mint this year but I don’t think it’s this one because mine leans toward the sun. Seems like a tough plant and mine wasn’t hurt by the drought at all.
Thank you - I've got a few other species of Mountain Mint growing right now. Two of them are leaning, Slender & Hairy Mountain Mint. But those two species are only in their second year. It's possible that they could 'straighten up'. It is interesting, one species has three plants planted in close proximity, and two are tall and looking good while the third reached for the sun, laid down, and now is arcing back up..... Oh well, we'll see what next year brings
Thanks for the info on placing this plant where you've cleared invasives! I'll definitely be doing this after I start clearing the invasive autumn olive and honeysuckles on my property!
You are very welcome Jacy - this is one of the better 'fighters' I've been growing. I just planted several Blue Mist Flowers....and those are supposed to be really aggressive. So I've got high hopes.
Great video. I already have this plant in my garden and love it. But it has gotten very big and splays out from the center. I understand spring is the best time to divide and transplant. Should the dead stems and foliage be cut back in January (Maryland)? Thank you 😊
Hi Susan - it's up to you weather to cut it back. There may be some insects overwintering in the stems. For my clump of this in the front yard/flower bed, I cut it back to about 6-12" tall and leave it. In Spring it will all fall down and naturally mulch. For the plants in the backyard and woods, I do nothing.
Thank you so much for this great video, it tells me everything I need. I love pollinators, so the first thing I do when looking at plants is research if it's pollinator friendly. So seeing the video of all the different pollinators was delightful.
You are very welcome Donna! I'm very happy you enjoyed it! Mountain mint is the real deal when it comes to attracting a lot of pollinators, and a wide variety at that.
Their are other videos on RU-vid that talks about this mint. This is the best explanation. Yes I found what I was looking for. So now I can plant more of this mint. I have some near my house . Thank you very much
I found this taking my dogs on their run. When I first noticed it, there was a yellow butterfly on it and I was attracted to the silver leaves. As I got closer I saw the cluster of flowers on it. I have started a pollinator garden. Lantanas, cone flowers, zinnas, Gerber daisies, butterfly bushesand a Blue something!! My question is, should I take a shovel tomorrow on our run and add this to the edge of our woods?
Hi Wylette - you should avoid transplanting anything that is blooming or making seed, as it is putting all it's energy into that specific task. If done in hot weather or mid summer, transplanting them can often result in the roots not being able to transport water up to the leaves, and lead to the death of the plant. That being said, just wait until the Fall or early Spring. You can move them around without any risk. You can always tell it's mint by the smell of the foliage or seed heads.
3 years ago, I planted one blunt mountain mint in my full sun native plants pollinator garden. I must admit, I fell in love with it and all its visitors. However, it has completely taken over the entire garden. I pull those that escape the perimeter, but have not thinned out the interior of the garden yet. I wonder if the horizontally growing rhizomes are bullying my other plants. Can they push through the rhizomes, or do I need to start thinning. If the others can break through, I'm considering keeping all the mint there, but cutting it low in certain areas to act more as a green mulch filler, and only allowing certain areas to grow to full height. I'd appreciate your thoughts and any guidance you can offer. Thanks!
Hi - I would start thinning it out. I have found that most things can push through, although some like Rudbeckia fulgida I believe have been overtaken a bit. Personally, I like the spreading nature in some areas, as if I want to plant something new I can simply rip out some of this plant and replace it with what I want. But, spreaders are gonna spread.
Reddit says this thing will spread better in partial sun, and it prolly needs less water there anyway. I'm gonna direct sow a bunch of seeds this fall and see what happens. Can't wait for it to spread with the wood mint and mistflower.
Excellent video and I appreciate you sharing your knowledge. I got this plant about 14 months ago- it has quadrupled in size. It’s full of pollinators and is so attractive. I’m hoping that I can divide it up and get more to grow throughout my gardens. 👍
Hi GIBI, do you think I can transplant this late in the season with a clump large enough to fill a number 1 pot? Ive had success transplanting commercial mint, just wonder if you have ever done an august transplant. Thank you for your time!
I personally don't like transplanting until temperatures cool down, or in early Spring. Also it's good to wait until seed production is finished. But if the pot is large enough you should be good. The roots aren't too deep.
I thought I grew this, but it’s much more gangly than this is 🤔 While in most places mints are too aggressive for most people’s taste, I will say that this quality makes it great to add to fields and meadows. I’ve found it can really compete with established plants and grasses. We let a large field just grow, instead of mowing for no reason, and the seed-grown plugs of mountain mint I added are doing really well! Bee balm also seemed to pick up and grow quickly. Question: there is a wild plant here in PA that looks and smells like oregano, with purple flowers. Do you happen to know what that might be?
Hi EmKn - agree with all your comments. The plant you are asking about is most likely Monarda fistulosa, Wild Bergamot. I have a video on it here - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ECVmuhSQzDs.html And the foliage definitely smells like oregano.
@@growitbuildit Thanks for the info but no, that’s definitely not it. I’m familiar with the plant you mentioned (and I’ve watched your video in the past :) )but this is different. It’s very low-growing, like a ground cover. It is prolific, but I don’t know if it’s a native or not. It’s pretty small overall, and the leaves are smaller and round, like oregano. The flowers are there, but not showy.
@@growitbuildit I did some searching and what I came up that looks pretty close to what I find here is Clinopodium vulgare L., Wild Basil. I remembered the leaves being smaller, but maybe it varies based on the growing conditions. I can go find some and take a picture if that’s easier.
Another great video, Joe! I tried collecting seed from a mountain mint last summer, but I may have been early, and didn’t get any germination in my winter sowing jugs. Will definitely try again this year...your specimens are very inspiring!
Thank you Connie - The seeds are so small on this one that it is easy to miss them. Just make sure you wait until the seed heads are fully dried. One other tip is if you crush them onto a plate and then slightly tilt it, you can tap the plate with your finger and the heavier seeds fall down before the chaff.
What garden zone do you live please? I am a winter sower and am in zone 4, I see you place them out in January. So I would like to know what zone please. Thank you. :D
Hi Helen - I'm in zone 6. In zone 4 I would assume you could do it later if you wanted. I just like to do it over Christmas, as I generally have some time off when I can plant everything.
A lot of the plants I have documented can be used as herbs, although I generally don't stress that aspect. But I've done several species of Monarda, all of which can be used for tea/seasoning. You may find those plants interesting, and they are quite beautiful too.
Will the seeds get sufficient sunlight in milk jugs to be able to germinate? Thank you for you videos. They have been very helpful for me starting out with natives.
Hi - yes it should work just fine. I've grown plenty of seeds in jugs that were depending on sunlight to break dormancy. And you are very welcome for the videos, I'm very glad to hear they are helping!
Great, that's what I figured. In your video you where using flats with a clear cover when you mentioned that they needed sunlight. Double checking. Thanks again.
my yard is covered in this, lots of wasp and bees love this stuff, more than any other plant in my yard.. I am watching to find if its good for you in any way
@@growitbuildit it does. I looked it up after watching this and went and got some and made some tea with it and some nettle leaves and black tea all mixed. drinking a cup as I write this.
I realize this question is in regard to another plant, chelone (turtlehead), but I didn't see a video, by you, available. My question is, does chelone that is started from seed flower in that year?
Hi Julia - I can't recall if mine did or not! But I believe that if you get them transplanted to the ground early, you would have a good chance. The root structure on Turtlehead isn't overly huge (they transplant easy in Spring). So I think you can probably get some blooms by Aug/Sep.
I tried growing this plant a few years ago from a pot I obtained from a local nursery. The growing conditions were as you stated. It lasted one year and did not come back the following year. The year it bloomed it was full of insects which is the reason I purchased the plant. I will have to try again in a different location is see if it will thrive! Considering all the plants I grow, I think fondly of this flower and want to make it happy somewhere in my landscape.
Wow - that is the first time I've heard of this specific species of Mountain Mint not returning. It is normally one of the toughest plants around. I even have it out-competing Japanese Stilt Grass.
Great video! Does this plant attract honeybees? Are regular mint plant flowers as attractive to pollinators as this one or is this one way more attractive? Thanks.
Hi - yes, I have seen plenty of honeybees on mine. The general opinion of most people is that all mountainmints attract crazy amounts of pollinators. But if you are asking for the mint family, well, that is a difficult question to answer because there are so many. But I have seen less on my mountain mints over the last year or two, but I have so many plants at this point it might just be that the density of pollinator has dropped. I have it all over my back woods and other locations in my yard. Additionally I have three other species of Mountain Mint, and probably 5 other mint-family plants.
@@growitbuildit Yes, I have seen you have all kind of plants so the distribution of bees is probably more spread over all kinds of plants. I was comparing regular mint (pepper mint, orange mint, etc.) with this kind of mint. The reason is that I have a limited space and if they all attract almost the same number of bees, then I rather plant what I actually use in my salad :)
I need a plant that attracts deer like that mint attracts bugs. Hostas seem to be pretty effective, but only for the boldest ones that are willing to come up to the shade of my house where the hostas grow.
Hi Buck - I'm not aware of any plant that will do that year round. Some species do that at a certain times, like Apple trees, but it would get quite expensive replacing them. One species that seems to make regular forage for them in my yard is Show Tick Trefoil. But that isn't really a plant for next to a house. But they definitely eat it quite regularly.
@@growitbuildit That sounds like a good plant for deer, and it does sound great for restoring vacant land (because wildlife works diligently), but I really don't want to plant something that's going to get stuck in my clothes, or on my dog, which then transfers the seeds to my clothes. The deer in this area have more or less prevented me from growing fruit trees in the sunniest part of my yard, because it's sort of a hiding spot for them. Incidentally the power line crew took out some crabapples and a mulberry tree, and so they have been farther up in my yard than previously, as there is another mulberry growing through a cedar, and this puts them right in front of my viewing window... A bit of lime in that area seems to also have helped, and now I'm starting to get some growth on my deeply munched saskatoon berries and struggling cherry trees. I've been wanting to cut down that mulberry tree all winter, until I suddenly realized that this is probably why they're spending so much time there (besides the visual screening offered by the cedar). In front of that is where I'm looking to plant something, and now I'm thinking Sunchokes may work there, as I can mow around the trees there and possibly keep them producing fresh shoots if they start to get out of hand.
Hi, Joe.. Do you think I can grow it in a big pot? I am afraid it will spread like crazy. I have a tiny garden. I’m still traumatized from the obedient plant invasion 😅😓😓. Also, would it take part sun?
Hi - yes, you can grow it in a pot. Just make sure it stays watered. Now, if the pot froze solid in Winter it may be possible to kill the plant. That being said, I have had some survive a PA winter in just a small 5-6" shallow pot. But I wouldn't guarantee that it could do that long-term. I grow it in a pot buried in ground with the bottom cut off (as a test). The side walls buried are around 6-8" deep, and it seems to be containing them. But regarding the spread - if you have this planted in it's own spot, with space around it, then it will not send runners off in every direction 10' away. It will be clump forming, and the shovel-pruning I do in the Spring really does work to keep it contained.
@@growitbuildit thank you. I am in Canada, Ontario zone 5b.. I have a couple of crazy spreaders growing in mid-size pots( Common milkweed, some pearly everlasting and evening primrose ) .. I guess 😅I can take my chances and plant it directly in my new flower bed 😅. Would you say it speeds similarly to Scarlet Bee balm? I had to chop this one back every single year
Hi SLRS - I don't ship seed. I've got too many viewers! But I just looked and found a company with some in stock, so hopefully you see this before they are gone - hayefield.com/product/pycnanthemum-muticum-short-toothed-mountain-mint/
Some online retailers carry this in the Spring. But you might find some closer to home too. We compiled a list of native plant nurseries in the US/Canada here - growitbuildit.com/where-to-buy-native-plants-in-the-united-states/
You mentioned moving to garage or shed in in pots-is it ok to get no light? What temps warrant moving them? Can they be in garage for a couple of months? I’m in DE, zone 7. Thank you!
During winter, the plant is not growing and is dormant. You can keep it in a garage/shed then without risk. Just make sure there is a bit of moisture in the soil so that it doesn't completely dry out. But FYI - I'm in Southern PA, zone 6. So I'm guessing that if it survives my outdoor Winter, you should be perfectly safe in DE.
Hi Sandy - it is similar, but a different species. Hoary Mountain Mint is botanically known as Pycnanthemum incanum. Their native ranges overlap quite a bit though.
Edit June 18, 2023: I decided to keep the mountain mint and see what it does this year and it is doing very well and the stems are very strong and plants straight up. I've done nothing to the patch this year. No supplemental watering, no Chelsea chop of the plant. The patch is huge and I will probably reduce the size later this year after the pollinators are done with it. I suppose the moral of the story is to let the plants sleep first year and they'll come to life the next. Curious ok your thoughts with this. I planted some of this last year and unfortunately it wanted to flop and not stand upright. It's in full sun. Do you think it might be too wet? I wouldn't call it a wet area that it's in, but more moist than average. A little blue stem nearby is flopping and a rudbeckia laciniata is thriving as well.
Hi Andrew - too wet might be part of the problem. Is the soil very rich and fertile? That can have an effect as well. Natives often do best in poor soils.
There are a couple things you may want to try. 1- separate (like what i show in video)some and start it in a drier location. 2- give the plant growing in it's current spot the Chelsea Chop in early June before blooming. That will hopefully reduce the chances of flopping. growitbuildit.com/the-chelsea-chop/
Mine tends to flop also. I plan to give it a Chelsea chop the first week in June so it is shorter. I do this every year with Joe Pye Weed and never have to stake it.
@@dtoomey9174 Good Idea. Right now my Mountain Mint and Bee Balm are each 2 ft tall and standing straight up. This is year two for them and I have done zero overhead supplemental watering and kinda ignored them, really. They seem to be doing well right now. I think I might have babied them too hard and it was a first year awkward stage. We'll see how the summer holds up.
