Mentha spicata

Spearmint (Mentha spicata) — the sweet, mild culinary mint for sauces, salads, teas and drinks. Vigorous perennial best grown in a pot to keep it in check.
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  • Spearmint Garden Mint seeds (Mentha spicata) – perennial herb Spearmint Garden Mint (Mentha spicata) – perennial herb seeds from SeedsChoice
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    Spearmint Garden Mint Seeds Mentha Spicata Perennial Herb
    €3,96€4,95

    Spearmint for kitchens, borders, and containers Spearmint seeds are a great choice for gardeners who want a classic, fresh-scented herb with bright green leaves and a vigorous, leafy habit. This perennial mint plant is valued...
  • Spearmint seeds (Mentha spicata) – perennial herb Spearmint (Mentha spicata) – perennial herb seeds from SeedsChoice
    Spearmint Seeds Mentha Spicata Perennial Herb
    €4,95

    Spearmint for fragrant leaves and garden use Spearmint seeds are a popular choice for gardeners who want a classic, fresh-scented mint with bright green leaves and a vigorous, leafy habit. This perennial herb is widely...
  • Spearmint Pads 4 seeds (Mentha spicata) – seed pads Spearmint Pads 4 (Mentha spicata) – seed pads seeds from SeedsChoice
    Spearmint Seed Pads Mentha Spicata Herb 4 Pads
    €4,95

    Spearmint seed pads for neat pot sowing Spearmint seed pads are pre-sown herb discs designed to help you start a mint herb in a tidy, organized way. This product features spearmint, a fragrant culinary herb...
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Mentha spicata — spearmint

Mentha spicata, the classic spearmint, is the sweet, mild culinary mint behind sauces, salads, teas and cool summer drinks. Vigorous and refreshing, it is the botanical heart of the spearmint side of our mint range within the culinary herb collection.

History & origin

Spearmint is native to Europe and Asia and has been cultivated since antiquity. The Greeks scented their bathwater with it and rubbed it on banqueting tables, and it features throughout Roman and medieval herbals. Of all the mints it is the one most woven into traditional cooking — from English mint sauce to Middle Eastern tabbouleh and North African mint tea.

The species name spicata means “spiked,” describing the slender, pointed flower spikes — and indeed the pointed leaves — that give spearmint both its botanical name and its common one.

Botanical characteristics

Spearmint is a vigorous perennial 30–60 cm tall, with bright green, lance-shaped, crinkled leaves and slim spikes of pale lilac flowers loved by bees. Its flavour is sweet and gentle, with far less of the cooling menthol punch found in peppermint, which makes it the preferred mint for cooking. Like all mints it spreads readily by runners, so it sits among our perennial herbs and is best grown in a pot with our container-friendly herbs.

Growing Mentha spicata from seed

Sow the fine seed on the surface in spring, pressing it in gently without covering, and keep it warm and lightly moist until the seedlings appear. Spearmint thrives in sun or partial shade in moisture-retentive soil, and grows with great enthusiasm — to keep it in bounds, grow it in a container or a sunken pot. Pick regularly to encourage fresh, tender shoots. Our herb growing guide and herb sowing calendar cover timing and care in full.

Ready to grow spearmint? Explore the varieties or learn the basics first.

Related categories: Mint · Culinary Herbs · Perennial Herbs · Container Herbs · All Herb Seeds

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What is Mentha spicata?
It is the botanical name for spearmint, the sweet, mild culinary mint used in mint sauce, salads, teas and cool summer drinks. How is spearmint different from peppermint?
Spearmint is sweeter and milder with far less cooling menthol, which makes it the preferred mint for cooking, while peppermint is sharper and more intense. How do I grow spearmint from seed?
Sow the fine seed on the surface in spring, press it in gently without covering and keep it warm and lightly moist until seedlings appear. How do I stop mint taking over?
Mint spreads vigorously by runners, so grow it in a container or a sunken pot to keep it neatly contained.