Calamintha 'White Cloud'

Calamintha 'White Cloud': A Minty White Haze All Summer

Brush past it and the whole patio smells like somebody's muddling mojitos. 'White Cloud' floats tiny white flowers over minty leaves for months, and the bees act like it's happy hour. LAST CALL NEVER COMES.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Calamintha nepeta 'White Cloud' (also listed as Calamintha nepeta subsp. glandulosa 'White Cloud')
• Common Name: Lesser Calamint
• Height: 30–60 cm (1–2 ft)
• Spread: 30–60 cm (1–2 ft)
• Flowers: Tiny, bright white, tubular flowers in airy sprays held just above the leaves
• Bloom Time: Early summer to early fall (June to September)
• Foliage: Small, aromatic, mint-scented leaves on a rounded, bushy clump
• Features: Fragrant foliage

Where to Plant: Use it along the front or middle of a sunny border, to edge a walkway, or to soften a gravel garden. Its haze of white flowers works as a filler between bolder plants. Plant it where you can enjoy the bees, because they will find it.

Companion Plants: Paeonia 'Raspberry Sundae' opens pink blooms in May and June, just before the calamint gets going. Iris 'Caesar's Brother' brings violet flowers and upright, grassy leaves at 80 to 100 cm. Aster 'Wood's Light Blue' adds blue daisies from August to October near the front. Pink, violet and blue look fresh against the white clouds of calamint.

Plant Care: Plant it in full sun to part sun, in average to lean, well-drained soil. It does not need rich soil or fertilizer. Heavy clay that stays wet over winter is its main enemy, so add grit or plant it on a slight rise if your soil is dense. Water regularly through its first season. After that it handles dry weather well. Leave the stems standing over winter and cut them back in early spring when new growth starts at the base. It rarely needs dividing. If a clump gets woody after several years, lift and divide it in spring.

History: Calamint belongs to the mint family and grows wild in southern Europe and around the Mediterranean, and in Italy it's a traditional kitchen herb called nepitella, used with mushrooms. 'White Cloud' is grown for flowers that are whiter and showier than the wild species.

Final Thoughts: Deer resistant, drought tolerant once established and pleasantly aromatic. Plant it by the path. BRING YOUR OWN RUM.