How big does Apple mint grow?

About 60 cm × 1 m after ten years (height × width). Its ultimate size is 0.3–1 m × 0.3–1.5 m.

What soil does Apple mint grow in?

It tolerates these soils: average garden soil, clay.

Hardy down to -29 °C (USDA zone 4, RHS H7). It gets through winter in every part of the country.

When does Apple mint flower?

Flowering: July–September, white, pink.

How much water does Apple mint need?

Water need: medium. Drought tolerance: low.

Apple mint

Mentha suaveolens

Apple mint (Mentha suaveolens) is a perennial that reaches 60 cm × 1 m after ten years. Light: full sun, part shade. Hardy down to -29 °C. Drought tolerance: low.

Illustration of Apple mint — An illustration of the typical shape of the mature plant, not a photo.

What it's good for, and what it isn't

A mint with soft, woolly, rounded leaves whose mild, fruity, apple-like scent is good in teas, lemonade, salads and on desserts. The cultivar 'Variegata' (pineapple mint) has white-edged leaves and is a little lower and slower. From midsummer its white or pale pink flower spikes are popular with butterflies and bees. Like every mint it spreads fast and far by runners, so grow it in a pot or in a bottomless bucket sunk into the ground as a root barrier, and give it moist soil in sun or part shade.

Watch out for

Its spread is the main problem: planted out in a bed, the runners grow in among neighbouring plants within a year or two and are hard to get rid of. Mint rust causes orange pustules on the shoots and leaf undersides; cut infected shoots to the base and do not compost them. Powdery mildew can cover it in dry summers and it quickly goes bare without water, so in Central Europe it needs watering in hot weeks. Mint beetles and mint moth caterpillars can chew the leaves.

Key facts

Light: Full sun, Part shade
Water need: Medium
Care: Medium
Size after 10 years: 60 cm × 1 m
Hardiness: down to -29 °C
Foliage: Deciduous
Flowering: J F M A M J J A S O N D July–September, white, pink

Group	Perennial
Light	Full sun, Part shade
Size after 10 years	60 cm × 1 m
Ultimate size	0.3–1 m × 0.3–1.5 m
Hardiness	down to -29 °C (USDA 4, RHS H7)
Soil	Average garden soil, Clay
Foliage	Deciduous
Flowering	July–September, white, pink
Water need	Medium
Drought tolerance	Low
Maintenance	Medium
Root aggressiveness	Low
Suckering	no data
Spreading	High
Distance from buildings	no data
Distance from paving	no data
Litter	not typical
Planting distance	45 cm
For dogs	Toxic (uncertain)
For cats	Toxic (uncertain)
For children	Non-toxic (uncertain)
Typical price	no data

Toxicity data is for information only. If your pet or child has eaten a plant, contact a vet or a doctor.

Frequently asked questions

Data updated: October 8, 2026 · How our data is made

Appears in these lists

Ground cover plants Perennials for part shade Perennials for full sun Perennials for clay soil Perennials for pollinators Plants for containers Fragrant plants Fragrant perennials

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