Growing Corsican Mint

Mints are easy to grow, fragrant and useful in the kitchen. They're also pretty to look at if you're into lush greenery with "benefits".

Although old favorites like spearmint, peppermint and chocolate mint get everyone excited, especially around mojito time or during Kentucky Derby season, this little mint with a creme de menthe aroma and delicate appearance should be part of your collection, too.

Corsican mint (Mentha requienii) is a dynamic ground cover and ornamental mint if you can give it lots of moisture. It takes some abuse from being trod on and comes back just fine. If you have a low spot in the garden with a few neglected looking pavers surrounded by bare dirt, Corsican mint may be the solution to your problem.

What You'll Need to Grow Corsican Mint

Give this happy little mint sandy soil and dappled light. It should never be allowed to dry out. If you're keeping it in a conservatory (which works great by the way), make sure that it has good air flow from a little fan (I use hat fans). Corsican mint is a great creeper that fills in well once it finds a spot it likes. I've kept it successfully under downspouts and around faucets. It's also a nice pot companion to other herbs.

If you love mint, Corsican mint's tiny, delicate leaves, light minty aroma and bright green color will charm you. It's also a natural for your rock or oriental garden. The leaves in the photo are between an eighth and a quarter of an inch across. Did I mention it's tiny?  If you like petite plants -- maybe to display with miniatures -- try Corsican mint.

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Photo - By David Eickhoff from Pearl City, Hawaii, USA (Mentha requienii  Uploaded by Tim1357) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AMentha_requienii_(5596580103).jpg