Calamintha: plant care, propagation & the best varieties
Calamintha, commonly referred to as calamint, is a bee-friendly, mint-scented perennial. Here you can learn how to grow and to care for your calamint plant.
Calamint is easy to care for and produces delicate, attractive flowers, making this plant well-suited to any cottage or herb garden. We provide tips on choosing varieties, planting and how to use calamint.
Contents
Calamintha: flowering time, origin and characteristics
The calamints belong to the mint family, Lamiaceae. The genera Calamintha and Clinopodium experience some overlap and are often used interchangeably, with some species being recently moved from Calamintha to Clinopodium. The genus Calamintha itself contains around eight species whilst the genera combined are thought to encompass over 100 species. The common name calamint continues to be widely used when referring to species from both genera.
Calamint is a herbaceous, bushy perennial native to southern Europe and Asia. Calamint grows up to 30 – 60 cm in height, depending on the species, and has rhizomatous roots. In appearance it resembles catmint (Nepata). Opposite, pointedly ovate, hairy leaves with slightly toothed to strongly serrated margins grow from square, downy-haired stems. The leaves have a high concentration of the essential oil which gives calamint its minty aroma.
Two-lipped, tubular flowers grow in spike inflorescences and emerge from the leaf axils. The flowers grow up to just 1 cm in size and can be white, pink, or lilac. Calamint flowers are borne from July through to September or October. This extended flowering period make the calamints particularly popular with pollinators, despite not being as rich in nectar as other flowering perennials. After pollination, numerous dark, round to ovoid seeds form in the calamint seedhead.
The best varieties
Wood calamint (Clinopodium menthifolium) can be found in forests, whilst the two most commonly grown in our gardens are lesser calamint (Calamintha nepeta syn. Clinopodium nepeta) and greater calamint (Calamintha grandiflora syn. Clinopodium grandiflorum), also referred to as large-flowered calamint. The latter is usually offered without a variety, grown simply in its wild form which bears significantly larger, pink flowers. An exception is the varietgated Calamintha grandiflora ‘Variegata‘. Here we present the most beautiful varieties of the small-flowered, lesser calamint.
- ‘Blue Cloud’: This lesser calamint bears dainty, blue-purple flowers in whorled panicles. Calamintha nepeta ‘Blue Cloud’ can reach a height of 40 cm and blooms from July to the end of September.
- ‘White Cloud’: From June through to September, ‘White Cloud’ lesser calamint bears tiny, white flowers. This variety grows up to 30 cm tall.
- ‘Lila Riese’: The larger flowers of this variety are intense purple, and the plant can grow up to 40 cm high.
- ‘Triumphator’: Growing up to 50 cm tall, this variety bears delicate purple to whitish flowers from July to October. This variety does not self-seed in the garden.
- ‘Weisse Riese’: This larger flowered variety of lesser calamint produces pure-white flowers through until October. The plant grows up to 40 cm tall.
Planting calamintha: where & how to plant it
Calamint is ideally planted in full sun and into well-drained, dry, chalky soil that is not too rich in nutrients. Its tolerance of drought makes it an excellent choice in rock gardens, for example in combination with tickseed (Coreopsis), feather grass (Stipa) and yarrow (Achillea) as companion plants. Its low, compact, and bushy profile also make the calamints well suited for ground cover or as filler plants. The hardy perennials can be planted in late autumn or early spring. Prepare the bed by clearing any unwanted weeds, before planting to a depth of one spade. As calamints have rhizomatous roots, they like to be planted around 30 – 40 cm apart from one another, so that they have plenty of space to grow. Plant as deep as it was in the pot, press the soil firmly around it and water well.
Tip: Calamint can also be grown in pots and are a wonderful bee-friendly option for balconies and patios. Choose a planter with a volume of at least 10 to 15 litres and add a drainage layer, such as pebbles, to the bottom of the pot. For the substrate, we recommend a loose, permeable substrate such as our Plantura Organic All Purpose Compost.
- Perfect for all your house, garden & balcony plants
- For strong & healthy plants as well as an active soil life
- Peat-free & organic soil: CO2-saving composition
Calamintha plant care: pruning & fertilising
Calamint is an undemanding and low-maintenance plant which requires little in the way of a detailed care routine. Just a few tips will help to ensure your calamint flourishes. Whilst it is tolerant of very dry conditions, calamint prefers to be consistently and lightly watered. It is particularly important to avoid overwatering which will cause waterlogged soil and root rot. Calamints growing in pots should be repotted each year in the spring once the plant has outgrown its container and has completely rooted in the substrate. Calamint does not need to be fertilised unless planted in soil which is highly deficient in nutrients. In such cases, an application of a slow-release fertiliser once a year in the spring will support vigour and flowering. Our Plantura Flower Food is an excellent choice for this. The granulate is worked into the surface around the plant and then watered in to start releasing the nutrients.
- Perfect for flowering plants in the garden & on the balcony
- For healthier plants with beautiful & long-lasting blossoms
- Long-lasting fertiliser that is free from animal products - child & pet friendly
Calamints are repeat-flowering plants, also referred to as remontant, meaning that they can flower a second time in the season. To encourage a second bloom, cut the calamint back right after the main flowering. Once it has flowered for a second time, in late September or October, cut the seed heads off in you want to prevent self-seeding. Sterile varieties such as ‘Triumphator’ do not seed and therefore can be left until spring. Any dead foliage on all calamint varieties can also be left through the winter as this helps to protect from dampness and winter frost.
Is calamintha a hardy plant?
Calamint is a very hardy plant, able to endure cold winters down to -23 °C, meaning it does not need any special winter protection. Even potted calamint can be overwintered outdoors. To do so, it is best to place the container on a wooden board and against a protective wall. Additionally, wrapping the pot in fleece or jute will help to insulate during the coldest, frosty months. During the winter, continue to water your potted calamint from time to time to ensure the substrate does not dry out completely.
Propagating calamintha
If you would like to propagate calamintha, there are a number of different ways to do so. Thanks to being a rhizomatous plant, division is the quickest method to obtain offspring which are true to the mother plant. It is also possible to propagate calamint from seed and cuttings. Here is a short overview of each of these methods:
Division
- Calamint can be divided in the spring after the last frost, either by digging up the plant or ideally when you are repotting your container plants.
- Cut off any rooted shoots with a sharp blade and plant directly in a new location.
- Keep the soil consistently moist whilst the new plant establishes.
Cuttings
- Cut a piece of healthy stem that is around 10 – 15 cm long.
- Plant in potting soil and keep consistently moist.
- Roots should develop within 3 – 4 weeks.
Seed
Most calamint varieties will self-seed if the plant is not cut back directly after flowering. Therefore, seedlings can also be dug up around the mother plant in early summer and transplanted. It is important to note that calamint propagated from seed may have different flower colours and growth characteristics than the parent plant due to cross-pollination.
Calamintha uses and benefits
Both the leaves and flowers of your calamint can be harvested and utilised in number of ways. Whilst the leaves can be harvested at any time during the growing season, the flavour is at its best when the plant first blooms. Harvest in the early morning and cut off the foliage with a sharp knife. Calamint grows quickly and so you can harvest up to half of the plant in this way. The leaves and flowers can either be used fresh or gently dried. They can then be prepared into a refreshing calamint tea, which has a cool, minty flavour. The tea is said to have a calming effect on the nervous system as well as having antispasmodic properties. In folk medicine, calamint was used as a digestive and diuretic herb. In cooking, calamint can enhance dishes for which one would otherwise use common mint (Mentha). You can find out about preserving mint in our dedicated article.
Not only grown for its aromatic foliage, calamint also attracts bees and many other pollinators. We present other bee-friendly herbs in our special article.
