Blunt Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum muticum)
Perennial
- 2025 Perennial Plant of the Year!
- Native perennial attracts a wide range of pollinators!
- Fragrant silver foliage looks fabulous even through winter.
- Deters deer & rabbits, disease-resistant.
- Tolerate to a wide range of soils, wet and dry.
- Zones 4-8, sun, 1-3' tall and wide at maturity.
ZONE
EXPOSURE
HEIGHT
Description
The silvery green foliage grows up to three feet tall and is highly fragrant (it is a part of the mint family, after all), making it a great addition to herb gardens. While the fragrance will delight garden-goers, it helps deter deer, rabbits, and other pests. Try planting with other native perennials that pollinators love, like black-eyed Susan, coneflower, milkweed, and bee balm! Go ahead and give this perennial a try in your garden; the pollinators will most certainly thank you.
Details
Common name: Blunt mountain mint, clustered mountain mint, short-toothed mountain mint
Zone: 4-8
Sun exposure: Sun (6+ hours sun)
Height x width: 1-3' tall and wide
Flower color: White
Foliage color: Green, silver
Season of Interest: Summer
Bloom time: Summer through fall
Features: Native, fragrant, heat-tolerant, cold-tolerant, drought-tolerant, fragrant, pollinator, deer-resistant, cut flower, wet soil, winter interest, ground cover
Uses: Accent, border, rain garden, native planting, pollinator garden, massing, small spaces, herb garden
How to Grow
Light: Grows best in full sun, though it tolerates some light shade.
Water: Average to moist -- tolerant of dry conditions once established.
Spacing: Min 36 inches
Fertilizing: Little required; apply a slow-release fertilizer once a year in spring if desired.
Winterizing: No special care needed.
Maintenance & Pruning: While spreading isn't aggressive, mountain mint is known to spread a little in the garden. If you want to keep contained, consider trimming the flowers after they are done blooming to prevent seed production.
Plant spacing is based on the ultimate width of the plants. This figure is normally given as a range; for example, 3-5’. If you live in a cold climate and/or want plants to fill in more quickly, plan to space at the shorter end of the range. If you live in a warm climate, are on a limited budget, or are willing to wait longer for plants to touch, use the higher end of the range. Using the larger number is recommended when calculating distance from a building or structure. There’s really no such thing as "maximum spacing": if you don’t want your plants to touch, you can space them as far apart as you’d like. All plant spacing is calculated on center, or in other words, the centers of the plants are spaced one half of their eventual width apart:
Unless you are planting in a straight line, as you might for hedges or edging, space your plants in a staggered or zig-zag pattern for a more interesting and naturalistic look:
Not sure just how many plants will fit in your garden? Our calculator gives you the exact amount of plants required for your space. Simply update the values and the calculator will re-calculate accordingly. Spacing information can be found in the 'How to Grow' tab on each plant's page.