Description
Pycnanthemum muticum
CT DR RG P
Soil: Fertile, Well-drained
Moisture: Average to Moist
Light: Full to Part Sun
Plant Height: 1 to 3 feet
Plant Width: 1 to 3 feet
Pests: None
Landscape Value: Excellent for naturalized areas and woodland edges where sun transitions to shade. Great for border perimeters, in low meadows, butterfly gardens, rain gardens, and near vegetable gardens to entice pollinators. Useful for erosion control on slopes and streambanks.
A clump-forming perennial with branched and sturdy square stems and dark green leaves that have a strong spearmint-like aroma when crushed. Flat-topped clusters of tiny, pinkish, tubular flowers bloom mid-to-late summer and produce copious nectar. Flower clusters are subtended by silvery leaf-like bracts. When planted in groups, bracts give plants the appearance of being dusted with powdery snow. A vigorous grower that spreads by rhizomes (shallow underground stems) and suppresses weeds, but is not invasive. If naturalizing is not desired, prune roots in spring with a spade to keep plants from spreading. Tolerates clay soil, heat, and drought. Highly attractive to butterflies, bees, wasps, and beetles. In a 2013 pollinator trial by Penn State Extension Service, it was rated #1 in both attracting pollinators and pollinator diversity. Larval host for Gray Hairstreak butterflies.
5-pint pot
Photo credits:
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (photo by R.W. Smith)
Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station
