Mint: A Field Guide

Mint is the beginner’s best friend: this aromatic herb will thrive in sun or shade, will grow with little water and less attention, and will come back year after year.

But mint does have a dark side: its strong root system can be invasive, so corral it in a container if you don’t have space for it to roam. Among our favorite Mentha cultivars (we like to brew tisanes with the plant’s fresh leaves) are potent Moroccan mint (M. spicata var. crispa), sweet spearmint (M. spicata ‘Spearmint’ ), and citrus-y pineapple mint (M. suaveolens ‘Variegata’). See more of our favorites in our guide to Mints: 9 Favorites for a Cook’s Garden.

If mint is running rampant in your garden, remember: It’s easy to turn fresh mint leaves into dried mint. All you have to do is tie a string around a small bundle of mint stems and leave it in the open air for a week or two.