J Lovejoy

Catie George wrote:In my experience, peppermint tends to have rounder, darker green leaves, a more prostrate growth habit, brown stems, and be much less vigorous than spearmint.  I had both planted together, and the spearmint smothered the peppermint.

I appreciate having another perspective and more data! I've been considering getting the plant out of the pot altogether and putting it in the ground where I imagine it'd be healthier and happier, but the strong possibility it is truly a 'proper' mint plant makes me hesitate. I read that plectranthus does not spread as aggressively as mint so that made me think I could put it in the ground. There's a rocky soil bed space on one side of my house, with a concrete walkway separating it from the rest of the yard, and if I could trust the plant not to send runners under the concrete and break containment (lol) I'd put it there. Also I've already got some new lavender planted elsewhere in that rocky bed trying to establish itself.

I was excited at the prospect of getting that plant out of the pot and into the ground, til I considered what might happen if it actually is proper mint.

Thanks Nina! That's a good lead. I wonder if it was mislabeled at the nursery. Thing is, it definitely *smells* a lot like mint, whether from simply touching the leaves and getting it on fingers or from cuts/pruning. It does bear a striking resemblance to this attached image 'nicoletta' plectranthus though.

And now I'm reading there are some varieties of plectranthus that do have a sort of minty/menthol smell. Hmm. This is starting to make more sense. Seeing things like "cuban oregano," "plectranthus menthol eucalyptus" . . . much to consider and look into.

Thank you again for the insight, and the well-wishing! Maybe I'll have a good and/or interesting update in another week or two.

Douglas Alpenstock wrote:I'm in Zone 3, dropping down to -40 in a long winter. Rhubarb is tough as nails -- you genuinely have to try hard to kill it.

Personally if I wanted rhubarb plants I would reach out to other gardeners in the area. They would chop a plant into quarters (which is necessary!) and give you half in return for a smile and a thank-you. My 2c.

Good to hear it's such a tough plant. On top of that, I picked a variety that is supposed to grow very well in the Pacific Northwest.

Offline I'm a rather solitary person and don't know any other gardeners besides family. I'd certainly like to be able to plant-share with local people and have a bit more of a sense of community. Maybe in time I'll meet some local folks and have some connections and new friends. This is my first year doing any planting and growing.

Repotted the peppermint with fresh soil and still noticed leaves struggling (yellowing). Also made note that the leaves look very different from the photo shared above and any other photos I have found of healthy mint online. The leaves on my plant have all been sort of rounder and softer, the shape reminiscent of a clover. I knew virtually nothing about mint plants when I bought my plant. If I'd known anything I'd have been able to tell the plant was already struggling (or at least in a rather unusual state) when I bought it. It was in pretty cramped conditions, for one thing.

Been quite a learning experience with this plant. I made some drastic cuts today, hoping it will grow into a new shape more adapted to the greater space it has now, and mayyyybe I'll see some leaves that look more like peppermint leaves apparently ought to. Or maybe I cut back too much and doomed it! I guess we'll see.

noticed growth on both my rhubarb crowns today

a bit off topic but also noticed some growth on my apple tree that shipped dormant; was beginning to worry whether it was waking up or not

Thank you Nina! I'll move it to a new pot with fresh soil tomorrow.  

On something of a whim, I got a peppermint plant a couple weeks or so ago from a nursery. I've realized I've almost certainly been overwatering it. I just looked at it and noticed one of the main stalks/stems (canes? I'm not sure the proper terminology) coming from the center of the plant has a lot more green covering the stems and hairs, where a lot of the other stems are brown. Is this a problem? It's a similar green to the leaves. Or maybe the ones that are more brown are not as healthy? Wondering if I've created a fungal problem or something with overwatering. It's my understanding that peppermint plants are hard to kill, but I'd like to identify a potential problem anyway - maybe cut back that particular stem if it's diseased, etc etc

Sorry for no pictures, I don't have a smart phone or digital camera. Main question is the subject anyway, "what's a healthy peppermint plant look like." Thanks for reading

I appreciate the advice and enthusiasm, Nina. You're right, I'll go for it and feel it out. I don't keep a smart phone or digital camera, so a photo journal here is not really possible. Maybe down the line as it shapes up, I'll ask a neighbor to take a photo and email it to me, lol.

I want to replace a corner of my yard with a rock garden, mostly for sempervivum, maybe some sedum. Are there any pitfalls I should look out for? I'm mostly concerned with creating a situation where the level doesn't remain stable, and it all starts to sink into the ground. I'm not sure if that's a usual thing to happen when replacing sod with rocks (and some succulent soil & sand) but for whatever reason it's my main anxiety. We get a lot of rain here, if that's relevant at all. Is it as simple as digging up the sod and putting down a layer of pebbles (how many inches, I wonder?), and building up layers of rock/soil/sand from there? Or maybe bigger, heavier stones should be the first layer. I have a bunch of decent sized rocks from where I dug holes for my trees.

Douglas Campbell wrote:I got a pair of 'snickers' work pants with knee pockets for pads.  Now I rarely wear anything else.  It is a huge help to painlessly drop down.
Only problem is they are always filthy.  I may need  a dress pair ;)

Hah, very nice. I'm intrigued by these, got their direct store bookmarked for more browsing. Thanks for mentioning them!

Douglas Alpenstock wrote:I mostly go with full coveralls for specific jobs (equipment maintenance, chain saw work, anything sparky like angle grinder work. They protect me and corral the crud, reducing laundry.

Overalls are rather different. Some years ago a friend and I put on a living, interactive display at antique shows -- pretending we were down-and-out travellers in the Great Depression. Being outside in summer, I discovered that the other hidden wisdom with overalls (aside from many extra pockets) is ventilation. Overalls are much cooler in summer than jeans!

EDIT: The other fun bit was that when I ducked into a supermarket for supplies, wearing overalls and a 1930s fedora, I heard a little kid say "Mom, that's a farmer!" Apparently farmers in illustrated children's books always wear overalls. I can tell you firsthand that modern farmers have not worn overalls for countless decades. But it was kinda amusing, since I was in character, including handkerchief.

I've got a couple pairs of coveralls bookmarked too. Like you describe, I'll probably find them good for different jobs than overalls. The laundry reduction hadn't occurred to me! That'll be nice.

I'm really gonna appreciate that overall ventilation benefit here in a month or two. Doesn't take me much above 75 degrees fahreinheit in the sun to start overheating. That interactive antique show display sounds like so much fun. lol if a little kid declared me a farmer, I'd probably feel unreasonably proud