Peppermint
A sterile hybrid mint grown in fields for oil and dried leaves; where fields are left to flower it gives moderate late-summer nectar but little pollen.
- Nectar
- Medium
- Pollen
- Low
- Flowering
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
- Height
- 0,3-0,9 m
- Life cycle
- Perennial
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It is a hybrid of water mint and spearmint; it does not set seed and is propagated by creeping stems. It is grown as a field crop for essential oil and dried leaves in Europe, North America and Asia. Honey bees visit its flowers, but nectar per flower is limited and pollen scarce, so its value is below medium.
Flowering
Lilac-pink spikes open from July to September. Secretion increases on hot days with sufficient soil moisture. The leaves are usually harvested at the start of flowering, so in most fields the flowering period available to bees is short.
Honey and pollen
Mint-dominated honey is known to be harvested in some mint-growing areas of the USA, but it is not a common monofloral honey. Honeys containing mint can be dark in tone and distinctly scented.
Note for the beekeeper
For apiaries near mint fields, the leaf harvest and the flowering calendar need to be discussed with the grower. Leaving a few clumps in the garden to flower provides a small but continuous source in late summer.