Clustered Mountain Mint: Perennial of the year

There are a number of gardening holidays and observances that we might choose to celebrate in the month of June. Among others, June is National Pollinator Month, National Great Outdoors Month, National Rose Month, and National Fruits and Vegetables Month. The first week of the month (June 1-7) is National Gardening Week, and don’t forget National Gardening Exercise Day on June 6, National Red Rose Day on June 12, or National Weed Your Garden Day on June 13.

Also on the calendar for June is National Perennial Gardening Month. Each year since 1990, the Perennial Plant Association has chosen a specific plant as its Perennial Plant of the Year. The winner is typically revealed in June. You may wonder what the criteria for becoming Perennial Plant of the Year are. In order to be named plant of the year, a perennial must satisfy each of the following five elements: wide adaptability to a range of climatic conditions, low-maintenance requirements, reasonable insect pest and disease resistance, be readily available from nurseries and other plant sources, and provide multiple seasons of ornamental interest.

The 2025 Perennial Plant of the Year is Clustered Mountain Mint, Pynanthemum muticum. This species of mountain mint has been increasingly popular with the renewed focus on pollinator gardens, as it is an absolute magnet for insects of all types, especially bees, wasps, and butterflies. Just try to find a mountain mint plant in bloom without an insect of some sort inspecting its nectar-soaked flowers; you’ll be hard-pressed to do so. The flowers are pleasant enough to look at but not overwhelmingly showy. However, their importance to pollinators, along with their present fragrance, makes them valuable in the landscape, as does the fact that they bloom for nearly three months’ straight, from June through August.

Top: Mass planting of  clustered mint makes an attractive arrangement.
Left: Flower and leaves, up close.
Right: Clustered mountain mint is a  super-attractant for pollinators.

Mountain mint is a true member of the mint family, and it does share the tendency to spread plentifully through rhizomes, though it can be kept inbounds provided you allow adequate space and divide and cut back plantings periodically. Mature height is roughly 3 to 4 feet tall, and spread can be as much as 3 feet. The foliage is also aromatic and attractive, with a gray-green cast that is noticeably different from the standard green leaf color found in most landscapes. It pairs well with plants that have red, purple, or yellow leaves for that reason.

Mountain mint likes full sun and can tolerate a range of soils from dry to wet. It is native to much of the Eastern and Central United States, including North Carolina. While it is a great choice for pollinator gardens as previously mentioned, it also would fit in native plant collections, edible gardens (its leaves and flowers can be used to make tea and other concoctions), and even rain gardens.

Matthew Stevens is the County Extension Director and Horticulture Agent for North Carolina Cooperative Extension’s Pitt County Center. If you have questions about this article or gardening in general, please contact the Pitt County Extension Master Gardeners at [email protected] or 252-902-1705.