Store the bag out of direct sunlight in a cool dry place for a week to ensure the seed heads dry out.Īfter a week, you can crush the seed heads to release the black seeds. To save seed, collect dried seed heads in Autumn or Winter, clipping them off and placing them into a brown paper bag. Each individual flower will produce several tiny black seeds. How to save seed from Pycnanthemum virginianumĪbout a month after blooming, the flowers will have formed seeds. The blooming period for Pycnanthemum virginianum begins in mid-Summer and lasts for approximately four weeks. The flowers do not bloom all at once, but only a few at a time, working their way from the outside edge to the center. The individual flowers are white in color and often have purple dots. There will be many flower heads that are roughly 3/4″ diameter (9 mm) and flat containing many small flowers (25-50). This is mainly because leaf-eating insects avoid the plant as well as deer/rabbits. The foliage of Virginia Mountain Mint is generally attractive during the entire growing season. The edges are smooth, and if you crush them they release a strong minty aroma. Opposite linear leaves that are ~2″ long (5 cm) by 1/4″ (6 mm) wide are green in color and will have no petiole or stem. Stalk / stem of Pycnanthemum virginianum Leaf The green or red stalk will be square in shape, or at least have four sharp angles, have small white hairs, and branch frequently, giving it a shrub or bush-like appearance. Pycnanthemum virginianum typically grows 2-3′ tall (60-90 cm). In Fall and Winter, the seed heads of Pycnanthemum virginianum will persist. You can always confirm it is a mountain mint by crushing some of the leaves. In Spring,Pycnanthemum virginianum emerges with green foliage that is often purple on the underside of the leaves. Identification and Characteristics Lifecycle of Pycnanthemum virginianum So, it will be attractive and interesting even when not in bloom. The leaves and branching of Virginia Mountain Mint make the overall plant seem like a small bush throughout the growing season. It’s like there is a whole world of specialist pollinating insects that get no attention! Beautiful foliage and shape What is also really cool is that you almost never see these pollinators on other flowers. I thought I was an observant gardener, but after 2 minutes looking at my mountain mint I realized there are a whole lot of species I wasn’t familiar with. If you thought you were familiar with the insects in your ‘neighborhood’, think again! Virginia Mountain Mint is going to bring in pollinating insects you’ve never seen before! I’m not kidding. Pycnanthemum virginianum (Virginia Mountain Mint) is good for attracting ridiculous amounts of pollinators to your garden, having a long bloom period, growing attractive foliage, and for the delicious minty aroma it’s foliage produces! Pollinator madness! Sources What are the Benefits of Pycnanthemum virginianum Numerous bees, beetles, butterflies, flies. Virginia Mountain Mint, Common Mountain Mint, Mountain Mint, Mountain Thyme, Prairie Hyssop, Pennyroyal The native range of Pycnanthemum virginianum (Virginia Mountain Mint) is the Midwestern and Eastern United States, Canada, and small pockets in Mississippi, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina. This helps keep the leaves looking great throughout the growing season as deer, rabbits, and leaf-feeding insects avoid Pycnanthemum virginianum. The foliage gives off a minty aroma when crushed, just like other mountain mints. One of the best plants at attracting pollinators, numerous species of insect visit the flowers. Commonly known as Virginia Mountain Mint, it will grow 2-3′ tall in full sun and well draining soil and bloom numerous white flower heads for a month or more. ![]() Pycnanthemum virginianum is a herbaceous perennial native to Eastern North America.
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