Oh mint, oh mint....
Mention it to any gardener, and you'll likely hear comments that suggest it's some kind of supernatural alien species.
“Be careful, it’s invasive!”
“It will take over your entire garden!”
“I wish I had never planted it!”
While mint is indeed a vigorous plant that can become unruly if not properly managed, it remains a fantastic garden plant and is one of the best crops to grow as a flower farmer. In my opinion, it receives an undeservedly bad reputation from the general gardening community.
Yet, as a flower farmer, I adore it.
Consider this.
What qualities are you seeking in a floral material you're cultivating as a crop?
How about a plant that's incredibly vigorous, provides numerous tall, straight stems with clean and crisp foliage, has a delightful scent and texture, can be easily rooted and propagated, requires no special care or scheduling, and is reliably perennial?
Honestly, what better qualities could you desire from a crop?
Additionally, mint is the perfect foliage to use in any arrangement. Its soft and fragrant leaves are an ideal companion for all kinds of flowers, both large and small, and it enhances our bouquets, centerpieces, and other arrangements throughout the season. Floral designers love mint. Retail customers love mint . And I love mint as well.
My Favorite Mint Varieties
Apple mint
Apple mint leaves are a vivid green, uniquely round, and have slightly serrated edges. Both the leaves and stems are covered in fine hairs, giving it the nickname "wooly mint". It emits a fruity aroma with apple undertones, and its mint scent is gentler compared to other mint types, making it an ideal foliage to pair with flowers.

Pineapple mint
The white and green variegated colors of pineapple mint make it a delightful foliage material to incorporate. It resembles a variegated mini-pittosporum (that compact little evergreen shrub) and blends effortlessly into more "rustic" or "garden" style arrangements.
Due to its variegated nature, it isn't as robust as other varieties and lacks hardiness, making it impossible for me to overwinter it in my arctic 4b growing zone. However, it's so wonderful that I buy new plants every year because it's simply so enjoyable to use in arrangements!

Productivity
Mint is one of the simplest plants to propagate, rooting so quickly that it requires little effort! In a fairly moist and humid region, you can simply insert stems or roots into the soil, and they will rapidly grow into robust plants.
To create plugs or transplants, take cuttings, dip their ends in rooting hormone, and place them in either pure vermiculite or potting mix. After about a week, they will have rooted and be ready for planting!
You can establish a large mint bed from just one gallon-sized plant in a single season due to this rapid growth. Each year, it will continue to expand and improve. If you need more plants, you can divide or dig up runners from the main plants to increase your mint supply.

Propagation
One of the easiest plants to propagate, mint is so quick to root you almost don’t even have to try! If you live in a relatively moist and humid part of the country (or if you don't mind using supplemental water), you can literally just stick stems or roots into the soil and they will form into plants, growing vigorously and quickly.
If you want to create plugs or transplants, you can take cuttings, dip their ends in rooting hormone, place into either pure vermiculite or potting mix and then wait a week or so - after which they will be rooted and ready to be planted out!
It is very possible to establish a large bed of mint from just one gallon-sized plant in just one season as a result of this. And then each year it will keep getting bigger and better. And if you need more, you can always divide or dig up runners from the main plants to multiply your mint plants.
Growing
Mint is quite easy to cultivate. With an average amount of moisture, sunlight and precipitation, mint thrives with minimal care. If nitrogen is lacking, mint may slow down and develop oddly curled leaves, so we ensure it receives ample nutrients during the growing season using fish emulsion due to its vigorous growth.
Regular harvesting is essential—mint can become untidy if left unattended for too long, developing bug spots, brown spots from excessive sun exposure, and brown flowers if not harvested promptly.
Depending on your growing conditions, you might need to net your mint (some have seen stems reach 4 feet!) to ensure straight pieces for design purposes. Alternatively, you can let it grow naturally—both approaches are acceptable.
Each season, it's crucial to break up your mint bed to encourage growth from young plants. Allowing it to grow from existing plants often results in a woody and scraggly growth habit, so we use a spade to divide the bed into smaller root sections. These sections will root and produce hundreds of new plants within the bed, helping to contain the mint by preventing runners from spreading excessively.
Harvest

Mint is pretty easy to harvest. I cut our stems down as low to the base of the plant as possible to get the longest stem length as well as encourage the greatest stem regrowth later on.
Mint is best harvested when it’s got a bit of woody growth - around July or so here, either right before or right while it is blooming - but you can also cut it earlier so long as you harvest it in cool conditions and get it into water to hydrate right away. Cut with sharp snips, strip the lower leaves and get it into a cool dark place. Careful with apple mint - although its my favorite, it also has the largest leaves and is most prone to flopping, so I try to only harvest when the stems are very firm and only during the coolest part of the day.
Mint has a great vase life, outlasting most of the other materials in an arrangement and holding up well under even the most challenging of circumstances. Just make sure it’s hydrated before it goes into the arrangement.
Mint is an amazing plant. It's abundant, robust, and complements other foliage and flowers beautifully. There is much to admire about this, in my view, unjustly criticized plant when it comes to flower farming.
If you haven't yet planted mint on your farm, I suggest you consider doing so this year. You won't regret it, I assure you.

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