Who it feeds
In Penn State's 2012 to 2014 pollinator trial at Landisville, clustered mountain mint drew more pollinator visits than any other plant tested, every year: bees, wasps, flies, beetles, and butterflies by the hundreds. The predatory wasps it draws control garden caterpillars.
What it does for the place
A pollinator hub that also repels deer and rabbits, tolerates drought once established, and spreads into a manageable clump.
The story
A mint-family native of eastern meadows with silvery bracts that make the whole plant look frosted in July. Indigenous peoples used it as a seasoning and a fever tea; the leaves smell strongly of spearmint.
Worth knowing
- Rub a leaf on your skin; it is a traditional mosquito repellent.
- The bracts are silver because of a waxy coating that reflects light.
- It grows in mountains and meadows alike; the name is misleading.
Saving its seed
Ripe: Oct, Nov. Dry flat heads shed tiny seed when tapped.
Collect: Shake heads into a bag; sift.
Sow: No pretreatment needed; sow in spring after frost or in fall. Surface sow; needs light. No cold needed: Prairie Moon lists it as germinating without pretreatment, sown on the surface. Winter sowing outdoors is optional and still works.
Cold-stratification days follow Prairie Moon Nursery's January 2026 germination codes where that nursery lists the species; others follow common nursery practice. Protocols vary with seed lot and supplier, so check your seed packet.
Seed saving calendar for your zip code →
Plant it instead of
- Mugwort: The gray-green weed that takes over every disturbed lot, roadside, and garden bed on Long Island, spreading by rhizomes and suppressing neighbors chemically.
