PlantFiles: Corsican Mint
Mentha requienii

Spruced up an ugly set of cement steps by filling in the spacers with this mint--looks beautiful, smells wonderful when you sit on the steps and read the newspaper.

Only because I love it--it is, in fact, the only mint I love. It is one of the most fragrant mints and it is beautiful. Almost like a moss.

It hates this climate, though (Central Florida), and repotting is a major hassle because of those tiny, delicate roots. It is one of the few plants I keep on trying to grow despite its determination to commit suicide. The other is dittany-of-Crete. Reason at least partly my attachment to Crete and to Corsica.

Corsican mint fares much better than Baby tears in my backyard. We have full sun through the summer, and it reaches into the low 100's in late July, early August. Most of the mint is planted at the base of summer-blooming bulbs, so it does receive some relief from the heat.

I just love the rich, minty smell when I brush my hand along the leaves. It always cheers me up.

Plymouth, England. I have found that Corsican Mint in a pot with peaty compost will thrive outside in full sunshine if it is placed in a tray that is kept topped up with water.

When I first tried growing several years in a row I had no luck, but for two years now I have been growing sucessfully underneath a Lavender plant.The smell is great and it has become my favorite mint.I have yet to have flowers, but maybe this year...Just an update, on July 9th I saw that it was flowering, the tiny lavender flowers are hard to see and almost went unnoticed.

We are in zone 6, and I've had this delightful little plant for over a year...I LOVE it! I am not using it as a groundcover to walk on, but to fill in around miniature roses in a big container on our covered porch, which faces east. It gets the morning sun, and afternoon shade, but it can be VERY hot here. I make sure it gets watered often, and kept moist. I'm sure it would croak PRONTO if left to dry out. It's right by our front door, and draws lots of attention and positive comments. The fragrance, when handled, is devine! It is slowly spreading, and I'll eventually try it in other locations, as well. It's definitely a favorite of mine.

Corsican mint is used to make Creme de Menthe. That is the aroma that fills the air when planted as a groundcover. It tolerates a fair amount of foot traffic after it is established.

A small pot can be pulled apart to plugs. Each plug will spread to form a mat at least 12" by the end of the year.

Cat's love this plant, my cat licks it (not chews). Do not put in full sun and keep moist at all times.

This mint makes a good ground cover. It barely grows over an inch tall, has tiny leaves and a shallow root system, making it an ideal plant between stepping stones or along a pathway so you can enjoy the smell when you walk on it.The bright green foliage smells strongly of peppermint and has tiny lavender flowers in late spring.It will not take full sun and does well where it gets morning sun or part shade. It also needs to be in a moist area, as it will not tolerate drought.It is a harder mint to grow than most mints.