Calamint, <em>Calamintha</em>: plant, care for, harvest

Description and botany

Calamintha, also called Calament is an aromatic perennial plant, belonging to the large family Lamiaceae, a cousin of mint, sage, nepeta and lemon balm. It grows wild in open woodland, sunny fallow land, meadows and garrigue of southern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.

Fewer than ten species are recognised, including Calamintha grandiflora or large-flowered calament, Calamintha sylvatica or Calamintha officinalis, the “true” calament also called wood savory, also referred to as Clinopodium nepeta subsp. sylvaticum, Calamintha nepeta or lesser calament, sometimes called glandulous calament. Each species has given rise to cultivars with differing flower colours.

This small rootstock-forming plant forms a tuft often creeping with a bushy, highly ramified habit of 30 to 80 cm in all directions, spreading slowly by running rhizomes but without the invasive character of its close relative, garden mint.

In spring, soft, square-section shoots emerge in a small cushion of deciduous to semi-evergreen leaves depending on climate. Shortly petiolate, the leaves are arranged two by two on the stems, opposite, ovate to oblong with slightly dentate margins. Shiny or villous depending on species, puckered with prominent veins, they measure up to 5 cm long. They are light green to grey-green and turn cream on variegated varieties (Calamintha grandiflora ‘Variegata’). They strongly resemble mint leaves, are aromatic and perfectly edible. When crushed they release a spicy, lemony flavour between mint and marjoram.

Calamintha officinalis – botanical illustration

On this bushy foliage, flowers appear as a light, fragrant haze in the axils of upper leaves from June through late summer, borne at the tips of the stems. They are arranged in racemes and gathered in loose clusters all facing the same way, carried on a common peduncle.

Tubular in shape, they open into a two-lipped corolla 2 to 8 cm long. Calamintha grandiflora has slightly larger flowers (7–8 cm) than other species. These numerous small tubular bell-shaped flowers bloom in soft to vivid shades, from bright carmine-pink to purple, lavender or pure white.

These delicate spikes 25 to 35 mm long, particularly nectariferous and melliferous, give off a very refreshing mentholated scent that irresistibly attracts bees and butterflies.

After flowering, the flowers develop into small fruits containing very numerous seeds.

Very hardy down to −15/−20°C, Calament establishes itself throughout France. It grows easily in sun, in any well-drained soil, including limey and stony soils.

Versatile, Calamintha will be at home planted as a specimen, on the edge of a wild-looking bed or border, and of course in a herb garden.

The whole plant is aromatic, giving off scents of mint, lemon, pepper and lavender. In the kitchen, its leaves can substitute for mint and are used in herb mixtures (za’atar) with oregano and thyme much used in the Middle East. This herb flavours herbal teas, infusions, drinks and even peaches in syrup. It also has many therapeutic properties, notably digestive and calming, and is known to relieve migraines and period pain.

Main species and varieties

Most popular

Our favourites

Calamintha grandiflora - Calamint

It's the only one in its genus with such large flowers! Use as a specimen, to edge an avenue or path, or in a flowerbed.

• Flowering time July to September
• Height at maturity 50 cm

See the product sheet

Calamintha grandiflora Variegata - Calamint

This cultivar is distinguished by its pale green foliage splashed with cream and its exquisite pink bells. Wonderful at the front of borders or in a rockery.

• Flowering time July to October
• Height at maturity 30 cm

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Calamintha nepeta - Calamint

It forms a beautiful bushy, regular clump covered in a multitude of pale pink-tinged white flowers. Ideal in a large rockery

• Flowering time July to November
• Height at maturity 40 cm

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Calamintha nepeta Weisse Riese - Calamint

These small white flowers form a haze over attractive aromatic foliage. Equally pretty in borders, on a dry stone wall, or in pots.

• Flowering time July to November
• Height at maturity 40 cm

See the product sheet

Calamintha sylvatica Menthe - Calamint

It gives off an arresting scent of peppermint and lavender. It will be at its best in a large rockery, a scree garden, on paving, or on a well-exposed slope.

• Flowering time July to October
• Height at maturity 40 cm

See the product sheet

Planting

Where to plant calamint?

Calamintha or calamint grows across all our regions, tolerating cold down to -15°C–20°C without problem. This perennial from Mediterranean areas needs a sunny position, although it accepts partial shade and dry shade under trees and bushes.

Undemanding, it adapts to any soil, even poor or stony, preferring dry, sandy or calcareous soil but will tolerate richer, cooler soil only if well drained. Too compact, waterlogged soil in winter may cause roots to rot.

Give it a location where its suckering stems can spread freely. It can be used as a groundcover.

It forms bushy clumps in wild areas of the garden and is also happy in a woodland garden.

Ideal in natural or wild gardens, along a path so it perfumes the air when brushed, to flower the edge of a track or to lighten summer borders. Also useful to cover base of rose bushes or in open understory. As it tolerates poor soil and relative drought, it can also be planted in a large rock garden or a gravel garden, or to cover a sunny slope.

Naturally finds place in herb garden where its scent attracts pollinators.

When to plant?

Planting of calamint is done in spring — from February to April, preferably in regions where winter is cold and wet — because roots may rot if planted in autumn; or from September to November, after frosts and outside hot spells.

How to plant?

For group planting: plant calamints at 5 young plants per m² and keep about 50 cm between plants to create a good massed effect.

• Loosen soil well to break it up and remove weeds
• Dig a hole 2 to 3 times volume of rootball
• In heavy soil, improve drainage if needed with gravel or coarse sand
• Place plant in hole and backfill with garden soil
• Water
• Discover more planting tips – How to plant perennials?

Calamintha nepeta

Care: watering, pruning, harvest

Calamint is an easy plant that needs little maintenance. It tolerates both drought and frost. If it copes well with soil dried out by tree roots, still give it regular watering in the first year. Afterwards, only water in case of prolonged drought, bearing in mind that flowering may be reduced during hot, very dry summers.

Regularly remove spent flowers to encourage further flowering.

When flowering has finished, in autumn or late winter, cut the clump back by about one third and remove all dead stems: leave the cut foliage on the stump so it protects it throughout winter.

Divide clumps every 4 to 5 years to rejuvenate the plant.

Harvest of Calamintha

As Calament leaves are aromatic and have stimulating and sedative medicinal properties, do not hesitate to harvest them as needed! Do so in June or July just before flowering. You can use them fresh to flavour dishes and desserts, or dry them and store them to use in herbal tea and infusions.

Potential diseases and pests

On the disease front, Calamintha is a resistant plant that is really only troubled by powdery mildew. This fungal disease is recognised by the appearance of a white, powdery coating on foliage. Remove affected parts, water without wetting foliage, and spray a horsetail decoction.

At the start of growth, protect it from slug attacks with our 7 ways to fight slugs effectively and naturally

Multiplication

Calament is easy to multiply from seeds harvested in autumn in the garden. Propagation by cuttings is also possible. Dividing clumps in spring on a specimen at least 2 years old helps to make the plant perennial.

By sowing

Calament sowing takes place in spring in a heated greenhouse. Follow our advice to succeed in sowing perennial plants!

By dividing clumps

This is done on clumps at least 2 years old.

• Using a garden fork, lift the clump
• With a spade, take a healthy division containing suckers
• Replant in pots until shoots are well rooted before planting them in the garden

Associate

With its simple habit, Calamintha easily finds its place in all natural and wild gardens, in romantic borders of a cottage garden, sunny rockeries and Mediterranean banks, in edges of light woodland as in naturalistic prairies and of course in an herb garden.

A naturalistic planting idea for well-drained soil: Eryngium ‘Jos Eijking’, Stipa tenuifolia, Sedum ‘Herbstfreude’, Calamagrostis acutiflora ‘Karl Förster’, Coreopsis ‘Full Moon Madness’, Calamintha nepeta and Verbascum phlomoides ‘Spica’

Its flowering in soft colours makes it indispensable in scenes of romantic inspiration, to accompany delicacy of roses, and its foliage helps hide bases of often-bare shrub roses. It mixes well with clematis, Campanula lactiflora or with light flowering of astrance and gypsophila.

Varieties with violet or blue flowers will provide lovely contrasts with yellow flowering from Achillea ‘Terracotta’, Coreopsis or rudbeckias.

The airy flowering of calamint pairs perfectly with silvered foliage of Stachys bizanthina and lanata, certain Artemisia, lamb’s ears, Dianthus plumarius and garden poppy.

An example of a romantic combination: Rosa ‘Gertrude Jekyll’, Calamintha grandiflora, Salvia nemorosa (‘Mainacht’ for example), Phlox carolina ‘Bill Baker’ and Campanula poscharskyana ‘Stella’

In a wild-looking border, it will keep company with Achilleas, Salvia, hardy geraniums, agastaches and Phlox paniculata. Dot with a few small clumps of grasses (Stipa tenuissima and pennata, Carex, Briza media…).

Plant it at front of a bed in front of taller perennials that will bring structure and height such as mulleins (Verbascum) or shrubby sages, at base of long upright flower spikes of foxgloves, Veronicastrum, or large flowers of dahlias, purple echinaceas and alliums.

As it likes full sun and well-drained soil, it also finds its place in a Mediterranean-inspired garden, a dry garden with a mineral character, where it can sit alongside lavenders, dry-soil euphorbias and eryngiums.

On a rockery, it will accompany dwarf artemisias, erigeron, Ceratostigma plumbaginoides, armerias, thyme or creeping rosemary, carnations, moss phlox, and Campanula muralis.