Plant Native: Narrowleaf Mountain Mint

Narrowleaf mountain mint, Pycnanthemum tenuifolium

Height:      2-3’

Spread:     2-3’

Sun:         full sun to part shade

Water:       dry to medium

Though mountain is in its common name, narrow or slender mountain mint grows naturally in dry, upland prairies and rocky, open woods. It’s a tough, long-lived plant that will tolerate part shade but, for more prolific flowering, does best in full sun. Thread-like leaves bear clusters of white to lavender flowers from July into September. It makes an appealing minty tea and all parts of the plant are fragrant. Bees and butterflies love the tiny but abundant flowers, which provide several months of excellent pollen and nectar. It’s not a true mint and is a well-behaved plant for herb or butterfly gardens that will slowly spread.

* Native plant monthly column from the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, plantnebraska.org