This well known perennial herb has bright hairless leaves with long spikes of lilac flowers. Mentha spicata, spearmint or garden mint can be used to make mint sauce, it adds flavour to vegetables like potatoes and peas and is also good in fruit salads, tea and cocktails! Mint can spread indefinitely so be careful where you plant it. The purple flowers are very attractive to bees.

Site: Best in a sheltered spot
Soil: Any moist, but not waterlogged
Position: Full sun to full shade
Season of Interest: Summer
Hardiness: Hardy
Height: 24in (0.6m) Spread: 3ft (1m) +