Drum roll, please!
INTRODUCING BLUNT MOUNTAIN MINT: THE 2025 PERENNIAL PLANT OF THE YEAR
Pycnanthemum muticum is the botanical name for this powerful native. We received this perennial recently, and I immediately fell in love with it because of its looks and fragrance. Here are a few points of interest regarding why it was the chosen perennial.
- It is a native perennial for our area.
- It is very hardy (Zones 4 – 8).
- It is both deer and rabbit-resistant.
- It is a prime candidate for a pollinator garden.
- This perennial is best used when it is allowed to create an expanding, naturalized cluster.
- Grows up to 36 inches tall with fragrant foliage and clusters of nectar-rich small tubular flowers.
In 2013, Penn State studied 88 pollinator-rewarding herbaceous perennial plants. Here are some results of the study:
- BEST PLANTS FOR FLOWERING LONGEVITY – Blunt Mountain Mint won with ten weeks of peak bloom.
- BEST PLANTS FOR POLLINATOR VISITOR DIVERSITY – Blunt Mountain Mint was the winner.
- BEST PLANTS FOR SHEER NUMBER OF INSECT VISITORS – Blunt Mountain Mint won with 78 different insects.
- BEST PLANTS FOR SHEER # OF BEE AND SYRPHID VISITORS – Blunt Mountain Mint won with 19 bees/syrphids.
Bottom line: Blunt Mountain Mint is a must-have for pollinator gardens. Its heads of tiny white blooms attract butterflies, wasps, and bees from July through September. This tough perennial has no disease issues.
Please remember this tip: It prefers an area that can freely naturalize and spread.
FALL IS A GREAT SEASON TO BE PLANTING A LITTLE HAPPINESS!!!!!!!