Large-Flowered Calamint (Calamintha grandiflora)
At a glance
- Lifecycle
- Perennial (hardy)
- Exposure
- Full sun
- Frost limit
- −28.9 °C
Cultivation
Prefers a well-drained soil and a sunny position. The plant is pleasantly fragrant when bruised. Plants often self-sow in gardens if they are well-sited.
Propagation
Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. Only just cover the seed. Germination usually takes place within 2 weeks at 21°c. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse. Plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer if they are large enough, otherwise plant them out the following spring. The seed can also be sown outdoors in a dry soil in April. Division in spring or autumn. Very easy, larger clumps can be planted direct into their permanent positions. It is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are well rooted before planting them out in the summer. Basal cuttings in May or June. Harvest the shoots when they are about 10 - 15cm long with plenty of underground stem. Pot them up into individual pots and keep them in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the summer.
Edible uses
A sweet and aromatic herb tea is made from the leaves. Leaves - used as a flavouring. A pleasant mint-like fragrance and flavour.
Medicinal uses
The leaves are aromatic, diaphoretic and expectorant.
Material uses
Plants can be used for ground cover, planted about 45cm apart each way they form spreading clumps.
Habitat
Damp woods and scrub, often on limestone.
Native range
S. Europe.
Scientific synonyms Clinopodium grandiflorum