Virginia ecotype
- Duration: Perennial
- Habit: Upright, spreading, naturalizing
- Size: 2- 3 ft, half as wide
- Flowering time: Jul, Aug, Sep
- Bloom color: White to pink-lavender
- Habitat: Ditches, meadows, forest edges
- Moisture: Average to moist, well draining or seasonally flooded
- Light: Full sun to part sun; best performance in full sun
- Soils: Clay, sand, rocky, loam; adaptable
- Uses: cottage gardens, pollinator gardens, wild meadows
Pycnanthemum virginianum (Virginia mountain-mint)
Pycnanthemum virginianum is known as Virginia mountain mint. A double misnomer, as this mint doesn't typically grow in mountains, nor does it just occur in Virginia; its natural range extends to much of the northeastern states and Canada. Locally Virginia mountain mint is among the more uncommon varieties.
The Virginia mountain mint is a vigorous, aromatic perennial for moist well-draining soils. Though delicate-looking, it's tolerant of heat, periodic drought, and a range of soil conditions once established. Growing in sunny meadows, open woodlands, and moist depressions, it forms upright clumps of slender stems lined with narrow leaves that release a strong minty fragrance when crushed. In summer, dense clusters of small white, lightly violet-speckled flowers appear near the tops.
The mountain mints are among the most valuable native perennials for attracting pollinators. Their nectar-rich flowers draw an unusually wide diversity of native bees, beneficial wasps, moths and butterflies, beetles, and native flies—often drawing more insect species than neighboring plants in peak bloom.
Despite belonging to the mint family, Virginia mountain mint is generally less aggressive than some true mints, making it easier to manage in garden settings. Its spread is also controlled in drier soils. Because of its strong aromatic oils, the foliage of mountain mint is also notably resistant to deer browsing.