PlantFiles: English Pennyroyal
Mentha pulegium

I have pennyroyal planted around my pond, and to some extent it is evergreen (zone 5a). It loves to grow into the pond and roots really well in the water. I leave some of it there to help use up excess nitrogen left behind from too many fish. It also helps to hide the edges of the plastic.

My information says it is hardy in zones 3-9. It is slow to germinate.

Pennyroyal has one of the nicest minty scents .... amost wintergreeny.... very fresh (and sweet) and pure smelling.... tiny shiny green foilage is cute.... easy to use as a groundcover (doesn't love to be walked on) may die out in very cold winters..... Too bad (with its lovely scent/taste) it is not edible.... best not to take internally.... Good though as insect repellant..... Insignificant purple flowers.... grow as "fragrant" groundcover.....

An herbal medicine cabinet must, but it needs to be contained. If it escapes, I simply rip it out. Wonderful additive for herbal teas (if you are not pregnant), especially for those less desirable flavored ones. My insects aren't daunted by it at all. : (

The scent is wonderfull, and since it keeps away little creepy, flying things, I like it even more!

I have tried to grow this plant in just about every condition in BR, La and never, ever had success with it. May be operator error, or this climate may just not be good for it.

I keep pennyroyal in a container. I became interested in it as a flea repellant - I add the oil of the plants/flower into my pet shampoo. I've read numerous warnings about pregnancy however - for pets or people, if pregnancy is a possibility, avoid pennyroyal. The blooms are unusual and fall just short of stunning en masse.

I have had great success growing this herb so far this summer. It has spread quickly, has a wonderful aroma and is attractive in containers with flowering annuals and caladiums. The only problem I find with it is that on the website, botany.com, it discourages from using it in cooking, as it says that too much of it can be toxic to humans. Because I have small pets who sometimes like to "sample" around in my container plantings, I have worried that they might be attracted to the herb and that it would be harmful to them. This could be significant information for anyone with small pets around their gardens.

Like many mints, pennyroyal has its very positive and very negative traits. I have planted it between the stepping stones in my vegetable garden, where it tolerates some foot traffic. White cabbage moths are strongly repelled by the smell, so my brassicas are almost pest-free. Lady bugs are very attracted to it, so aphid problems are mostly controlled.

Pennyroyal is not winter-hardy for me, but the plant self-sows so abundantly that it is very invasive and must be weeded out continually.

If you are pregnant or nursing NEVER, EVER use the Pennyroyal. It is a very good insect repellent (actually, most bug sprays like OFF use the chemicals from Pennyroyal in their products). Throughout history Pennyroyal is famous as an abortifacient. However, many woman have died attempting to do this because the dose that it takes is close to the lethal dose. The toxins shut down the liver. However, as a tea, Pennyroyal is good for any stomach ailments but I would use something not so risky like Ginger or Caraway instead ;)

We are experimenting with use of this plant as a groundcover with some success. We co-planted three small transplants together with two of creeping thyme in a bermuda/sand-burr-infested area last spring. The combination of thyme and pennyroyal has spread to an area of about 15 x 15 feet with virtually no cultivation and has completely eradicated the bermuda and burrs in that area. It also seems to have suppressed fire ant activity in the covered area.

The planted area receives morning sun; a similar planting in a shadier location did not do at all well. The next step in the process will be to make another combined planting around a recently finished stock pond to control erosion.

This is a wonderful little creeper with a strong minty fragrance. It forms a fast traveling, dense mat, of glossy green leaves. The lavender flowers grow in whorls up the stems at the leaf axils. It’s known to repel insects, especially fleas. In large concentrations it can be toxic to the skin and if taken internally so if your looking for a mint for tea it’s best to go with another variety. It’s strong aroma smells clean to me. I don’t know where I ever got the idea…but I make a large pennyroyal infusion, add a couple of pints of vinegar, and use the concoction to wash my hardwood floors. It is not winter hardy in northern zones so it never gets a chance to become invasive like so many other mints. It will grow in full sun as well as partial shade