Gardening question

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I just got back from Calloway's Nursery. I bought lavender and mint on a wim.... I dont know where to plant or what type of container to plant them in.... any suggestions...?

[Lilbitsnana]

The mint will spread...profusely, so make sure it is in a container or has a deep/wide barrier in the ground around it.

[Summerthyme]

Mint DOES spread, aggressively. It tends to prefer moist soil and will tolerate some shade. Best way to "contain" it is to plant it inside a bottomless bucket, or otherwise create a barrier which will prevent the roots from spreading underground and taking over your garden.

Lavender is much more drought tolerant, but wants full sun. It doesn't really spread (although it probably can, if you're in the right climate- we're just far enough north that we lose our lavender every few years and have to start over). It can get woody if you don't harvest it or cut it back once or twice a year.

Don't overfertilize or overwater herbs and most of them will thrive with very little care.

Summerthyme

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Thank you so much for the insights!! I was planning for both to be in a patio area which gets full Texas sun.... I may move the mint to a more shaded area... Thank you again!

[firebird]

Ours is planted in large ceramic pots.

[Heartofdixie]

Spanish Lavendar does best in our hot climate. English Lavendar.. not so much. Not sure which part of Texas you are in, but if you are in South Texas, or around the Gulf, humidity will be problem with the Lavendar. The combination of intense heat and humidity tends to steam cook the roots. While Lavendar loves sunlight, the intense sun and heat of the South is a little much for it. It will do best in a semi-shady area, dappled light for the hottest part of the day is ideal.

If you have an area that gets morning and afternoon sun, with mid afternoon light shade, that would be good. I have mine planted under a Wild Cherry Tree. It gets morning sun, but is in dappled light from the Cherry during the hottest part of the day. It seems to like that. Spanish Lavendar smells a little more medicinal than English Lavendar, but still is very nice. The plant and the flowers are attractive also. The Spanish Lavender flowers get little tufts, or ears on them.

Your mint will do well in a shady area, or and area that gets only morning or late afternoon sun. It may go dormant in Summer because of the the heat, but if you keep it watered it should come back in Fall and Spring. What kind of Mint did you get? Some do better in hot climates than others.

Spearmint, which I love, seems to be the most finicky. Peppermint seems to do well here in North Central Louisiana, and so does Pineapple mint. The scented geraniums, which can be substituted for many mint fragrances, also does really well here. They make a wonderful plant that Bees, Butterflies and Hummingbirds really seem to like. 8) Oh, and Monarda, (Bee Balm) is in the Mint familey and does really well and can be used for teas. It has kind of a musky, orangy, minty smell and flavor. It's a real draw to Hummingbirds as well as Bees.

I love Herbs. The uses and the Herb Lore are very facinating to me. :-D

[hereiam]

Don't under estimate the sun loving nature of lavender. I was amazed when my sister in law stuck hers in front of the brick of her home in full sun somewhat sandy soil and it thrived better than it did in my home in more orgainc, moist topsoil. The hotter it was, the better that plant seemed to do as long as it wasn't totally lacking water in the worst of the dry spells of summer. I live in NC by the way.

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I have spearmint which I think I can plant in a shaded area and wondering if I should plant it directly in the ground or go the container route....

The lavender is provence and may plant that directly in the ground... I've recently had my patio area expanded and have room to grow....

[hereiam]

I would never plant mint directly in the ground again. I had a bed full of the stuff and it krept so quickly that the mint varieties intermixed with all the other herbs. Made it difficult to harvest specific herbs without care. Also it can creep into your lawn which may be fine with you, but it will also strangle lower growing flowers, etc as it invades. If you like the 'rambling look' then mint might be awesome for you but once it starts its invasion you will never have control over it again and it quickly can become a scented 'weed'. ;)

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Thank you all for such great insight and wisdom!

[Summerthyme]

If it's in the "mint family" (peppermint, spearmint, "horse mint", catmint, and some which don't have "mint" in the name with similar habits like catnip and Bee Balm (Monarda)... CONFINE IT.

At the least, confine your first plants until you're sure they won't get nuts in your particular climate. Monarda, for one example, took over an entire herb bed of mine in about 2 years (from three plants... they spread to almost totally cover 4' X 60'). I dug them out, transplanted a few back in our woods (I do this with a lot of herbs- "naturalize" them around the farm. If they survive, it's one less patch to weed, and a potential source of replacement stock if something happens in the formal herb gardens. If it doesn't survive- no big loss). Spearmint spreads just like peppermint.

Also.. all mints are hybrids. They do NOT breed true from seed, despite all those pretty little packets of "peppermint" or "spearmint" seed you'll find... you can get a rather wild variety of scents and flavors from each packet. Once you find plants with the flavor and intensity you like, propagate them through cuttings or rhizomes (spreading underground stems). The flavor/scent doesn't change, so if you find a seedling at a nursery you like after sampling a small leaf, buy it and use it for your "foundation".

Summerthyme

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I never knew there are so many types of mint..... so I need to find a new pot to contain it.... I'm glad I asked before planting... I was just going to stick it the corner of my patio....!