2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
It is difficult to imagine a garden without a mint garden. An unpretentious plant has many qualities useful to humans. Passionate gardeners amass large collections of aromatic culture. What types can be found in summer cottages?
A bit of history
An old legend says: “Hades Persephone (god of the underworld) had a beloved nymph Menta. The jealous wife, in order to remove her rival from the road, turned her into mint - a fragrant delicate plant that brings coolness."
In Rome, before the guests arrived, they sprayed the air in the room with an infusion of herbs, rubbed the festive tables with fresh leaves, creating a positive mood. Wreaths were worn in the Capitol for the feast of the goddess Cents, celebrated annually in June. During his studies, woven flower decorations helped to master complex sciences, activating the brain.
In Russia, on Trinity, young people laid twigs under the pillow, making a wish to see their future spouse.
Diversity
There are more than 25 species of mint in the genus. The most common of them are introduced into the culture, are cultivated in summer cottages:
• curly;
• garden;
• peppery;
• field;
• chocolate.
What is the difference between each species, its value?
Curly
It grows up to 90 cm. Stems are straight, lint-free. The leaf plates are slightly wrinkled, opposite, with denticles along the edge, oblong, small. On the underside, they have single hairs ascending along the veins. The outer surface is smooth.
Inflorescence of spikes with lilac-pinkish buds at the ends of the shoots. Bloom all summer long. Seeds ripen in October. Terpenoids give the plant a special tart smell: carvone, linalool. Menthol is contained in minimal quantities, so there is no "chill" when brewing.
Sadovaya
Powerful plant up to 1 meter high. Leaves are oblong, slightly pubescent, opposite, 5-6 cm long, green-grayish in color. A branched, hollow tetrahedral stem ends in spike-shaped inflorescences with large pink buds. Blooms from late June to autumn. The seeds ripen in capsules in September. Winter hardiness is high, does not require additional shelter.
Pepper
Artificially bred hybrid of water mint with garden mint. The pungent, tart taste of the leaves gave the plant its name. Hollow, naked stems are erect, strongly branched, 30-100 cm high. The leaf plates are opposite-cruciform, ovate-oblong on short petioles. At the base, they resemble a heart with a sharpness at the opposite end. It blooms in early summer with pale purple small buds collected on the tops of the branches. Fruits are set in rare cases.
Field
Wild mint is found along the banks of water bodies, wet meadows, and fields. Plant height ranges from 15 to 100 cm. Does not require maintenance. Differs in good winter hardiness. Contains a large amount of menthol. A powerful creeping rhizome is capable of creating large clumps. Shoots are branched, erect at low growth, spread over the ground with a length of more than 50 cm. The leaf plate is oblong-ovoid with a pointed end. Lilac flowers, collected in whorls, bloom from June to October. Seeds begin to ripen from August.
Chocolate
A variety of peppermint with an unusual taste reminiscent of chocolate. Grows well on light, moist soils with minimal maintenance. In sunny areas, the leaves turn dark purple on a green background. A rounded plate with clearly defined veins has a serrated edge and a sharp tip. They are located opposite, cruciform. Compact branchy bushes reach a height of 40 cm. Strongly branched rhizome gives many tetrahedral erect shoots. Panicle inflorescences are whitish-pink, emerging from the axils of the upper leaves. Blooms in the second half of summer. During a frosty, snowless winter, it requires light cover with spruce branches.
We will consider the methods of breeding mint in the next article.
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