Wait, you might be thinking, mints can be bitter? Yup…not all mints have a lovely aroma and flavor. But this doesn’t mean they aren’t great medicine. Some of my favorite all-time herbs are bitter mints. In fact, I just processed pounds-worth of one of them, motherwort, yesterday with my herb-growing friend.
Mints are easy-to-grow perennials that are a beautiful and (usually) lovely-smelling addition to your garden—even if your garden is limited to a balcony, like mine is. They do well at sea level. They do well at mountainous elevations. They can hack cool, damp summers or hot, intense summers. They are fine being buried in snow and will be there waiting for you in the spring. While mints generally prefer rich and well-drained soil, I’ve grown them in heavy clay soils.