- Approximate height: 40cm (15 inches)
- Recommended water depth over crown of plant: 0 - 10cm (0 - 4 inches)
- Flowering time: August - September
- Flower colour: Purple
- Supplied in the solid 9cm pot we grow them in - for best results we recommend potting on using a 1 litre pot
This British native species is an attractive and useful plant for covering the pond edge. It has rounded green leaves which develop a lovely purplish colour when grown in a sunny spot, and have a pleasant minty scent when disturbed. Like other mints, it spreads by short runners which creep over the top of the pot but these can be trimmed back easily if required.
Unlike many native pond plants, Water Mint is relatively late into growth and flowers late in the season, making it valuable for extending the pond's period of interest. Whorls of pretty lilac flowers appear on tall stems in late summer and are highly attractive to bees; the plant is on the RHS' Plants for Pollinators list.
For the best appearance, cut back the foliage after flowering. The plant will reshoot the following year from new runners at the base.
If designing a planting scheme, we recommend approximately 1 Mentha aquatica plant per square foot of ground or per linear foot of pond edge. Read more on how to pot and care for your plant.