Common Name: calamint
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Lamiaceae
Zone: 5 to 9
Height: 1.00 to 1.50 feet
Spread: 1.00 to 1.50 feet
Bloom Time: June to October
Bloom Description: White
Sun: Full sun
Water: Dry to medium
Maintenance: Low
Suggested Use: Ground Cover, Naturalize
Flower: Showy, Fragrant
Leaf: Fragrant
Attracts: Hummingbirds, Butterflies
Tolerate: Drought, Erosion, Dry Soil, Shallow-Rocky Soil
Culture
Easily grown in slightly acidic to slightly alkaline, dry to medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun. Prefers evenly moist soils, but tolerates some drought. Tolerates light shade in the afternoon. May spread in the garden by rhizomes and/or self-seeding to form an interesting ground cover. Stems may root at the nodes where they touch the ground. Shear or cut back plants after flowering to tidy the planting, to remove unsightly foliage and/or to prevent any unwanted self-seeding. Easily started from seed. Plants generally do not perform well in the deep South below USDA Zone 7.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Calamintha nepeta is a bushy, rhizomatous, perennial herb of the mint family that is native to Europe and the Mediterranean region. It typically forms a dense, indefinitely spreading, foliage mat with upright leafy flowering stems rising to 12-18” tall. Ovate, gray-green leaves (to 3/4” long) are very fragrant when crushed. Tiny, tubular, two-lipped, lilac to white flowers appear in axillary spikes (cymes to 15 flowers each) over a long June-September bloom period. Flowers are attractive to bees.
Genus name comes from Greek kalos meaning beautiful and mimthe meaning mint. Kalaminthe means savory.
Specific epithet is in reference to the resemblance of the plant to catnip.
'Montrose White' was awarded Perennial of the Year by the Wisconsin Nursery Association in 2010. It was named by Mike Yanny of Johnson’s Nursery in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin whose wife had purchased it from Nancy Goodwin at Montrose Nursery. It is a clump-forming compact plant that is covered with tiny, white, fragrant flowers from June to October. ‘Montrose White’ is sterile and will not self-seed, although if propagation is desired, it roots easily from cuttings. It grows 1 to 1.5 ft. tall and wide.
Problems
No serious insect or disease problems. Foliage may decline in hot and humid summer climates such as the St. Louis area.
Uses
Excellent edging plant for walks, patios or herb gardens. Also effective when sprawled over low retaining walls or in containers. Rock gardens or border fronts.