Corsican Mint Is A Tiny And Aromatic Ground Cover. Conditions, Care, Use In Design. Photo

2023 Author: Ava Durham | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-27 07:13

Mint is a popular herb well known to culinary experts, gourmets and gardeners. But flower growers pay less attention to this culture, occasionally using only a variegated white-bordered mint variety in decorative compositions. Relatively recently, it became possible in our country to grow another "overseas" decorative type of mint - Corsican. The seeds of this plant are increasingly found in online stores. What are the features of this amazing mint? I will tell you about my impressions of the Corsican mint, based on the experience of growing it from seeds, in this article.

Content:

• Corsican mint - botanical information
• Conditions for growing Corsican mint
• Growing Corsican mint from seeds
• The use of Corsican mint in landscaping
• My cultivation experience

Corsican mint - botanical information

Corsican mint (Mentha Requienii), also known as creeping mint, is a creeping plant that resembles dwarf thyme in appearance. The native land of this plant is the Mediterranean regions of Sardinia, Corsica and France.

Corsican mint is a ground cover plant with thin shoots creeping along the ground, densely covered with miniature round leaves 3 to 7 millimeters in diameter. They give off a rather strong mint scent when touched.

Since it is a very short plant, the Corsican mint carpet turns out to be almost flat and rarely exceeds 3-5 centimeters in height. Like peppermint, this species belongs to the Lamiaceae (Labiate) family and is the smallest species of mint in existence.

Very small purple flowers in this mint appear in the middle of summer, they are rather scattered on the rug of emerald leaves and are not of particular decorative value. The diameter of the bush is on average 15-30 centimeters, but the plant spreads quite quickly with the help of thin stems. They take root as they grow, populating more and more new territories. Keep in mind that, like most types of mint, Corsican mint spreads easily by rhizome and also self-seeds, which means it can be somewhat aggressive. However, since the plant does not overwinter in our area, it does not become a malicious weed.

Conditions for growing Corsican mint

Corsican mint tolerates full sun or partial shade. Almost any type of soil (sandy, black soil, loam, etc.) is suitable for the plant. In this case, the soil must be moisture-absorbing and well-drained. The acidity can also be any, and mint is quite suitable for both acidic and alkaline or neutral soils.

As a perennial, this plant is suitable for growing in zones of frost resistance of plants (USDA) from 7 to 9. In the middle lane (zone 3-4), Corsican mint freezes, but in the fall it can endure a small minus (up to -5 degrees) for a long time, remaining green … In warmer climates, it may well overwinter under a small layer of mulch.

Corsican mint is generally an unpretentious plant, but can be somewhat finicky when it comes to watering. This plant does not tolerate drought. The soil should be constantly moist, but not soggy (no stagnant water).

Fertilize Corsican mint once every two months using a balanced, water-soluble fertilizer. Corsican mint tends to grow faster and can start to “fatten”, so avoid over-fertilizing. Also, Corsican mint does not tolerate neglect. In such conditions, she begins to suffer from fungal diseases, so she needs good air circulation.

Growing Corsican mint from seeds

In the middle lane, the cultivation of Corsican mint begins with sowing seeds indoors. Since mint does not develop very quickly at the very beginning of growth, it is best to sow the plant for seedlings in early March. For sowing, use a light, well-drained flower seedling mixture that is preferably sieved. The sowing container must have a drainage hole.

The seeds are evenly distributed over the surface of the moist substrate; you do not need to cover them with earth. If you put a container with crops in the light at a temperature of at least 20 degrees, then the seeds germinate quickly, after about 5-7 days.

Corsican mint seedlings should be kept in an environment where they will receive the morning sun, but will be protected from the intense light during the day so that they do not get burned or suffer from the heat. Water the plant regularly to keep the soil moderately moist, but reduce watering during cloudy weather.

The use of Corsican mint in landscaping

Corsican mint works well for planting near steps, on retaining walls, or near walkways, as you can smell the wonderful scent of mint when you bump into it. However, it is not suitable as a living lawn - it is too tender to withstand intense trampling.

Where the plant is not winter hardy, mint is grown as an annual plant. In this case, Corsican mint is used as an ampel in small hanging baskets and also as a carpet plant that covers the potted soil under taller specimens.

If the seeds of the Corsican mint wake up in the fertile soil, they will often germinate afterwards the following spring, and such seedlings can be observed for several years.

My cultivation experience

I bought Corsican mint seeds from one of the online stores. I decided to buy an unknown plant for myself, seduced by illustrations, where an emerald plant with small leaves picturesquely descended from the pots. The seeds of Corsican mint are very small, almost dusty. But, fortunately, they were covered with a shell and were multi-granules, that is, dragees that combine several seeds at once.

I spread the multigranules with a toothpick on the surface of the moistened substrate. In my conditions, the seeds germinated very quickly - in 6 days. The seedlings of the Corsican mint were very tiny, and a bunch of seedlings emerged from each multi-granule. Due to the fact that mint can grow very crowded, these babies did not need to be separated at all. As soon as they grew up a little, I split them into separate cups in bunches.

The Corsican mint grew very quickly, and soon its thin stems rushed over the edges of the pot. To be frank, I hoped until the last that the leaves of this mint would at least slightly increase in size as they grew. I had never met such a mint live before, but it was still very difficult to imagine the true scale of this plant from the photographs on the net.

Initially, I imagined such a mint the size of a dichondra or monkey loosestrife. However, this turned out to be quite different. As it turned out, Corsican mint is quite a crumb, and if you have ever seen room salt, then it will be much easier to imagine its size - these plants are identical in size.

In mid-May, I planted Corsican mint seedlings in a container as part of a vegetable composition of dwarf peppers and potted cherry tomatoes. Over time, the mini-mint covered all the soil in the container and began to hang by 10 centimeters over the edges. That is, it does not have time to build up a particularly powerful ampel in one season in the middle lane.

In July, the plant bloomed with scattered tiny two-lipped lilac flowers that were not even immediately noticeable. Basically, I just enjoyed the scent of the plant by touching its shoots, which gave off a characteristic mint aroma, slightly more delicate and weak than that of peppermint.

I did not dare to use Corsican mint for tea, because the site where I purchased the seeds indicated that it was not a food plant, but exclusively an ornamental plant. However, as it turned out later, this information was inaccurate.

Besides using the plant as a fragrant, fast-growing groundcover in the garden, Corsican mint is a valuable culinary plant. The leaves are used to flavor hot and cold drinks, ice cream, salads and baked goods. The original recipe for the famous liqueur Crème de menthe (French for “mint cream”) uses Corsican mint as an ingredient.