Pycnanthemum muticum (Broad-Leaved Mountain-Mint)

Named the Perennial Plant Association's 2025 Perennial Plant of the Year, broad-leaved mountain-mint is a confirmed, highly deer-resistant pollinator powerhouse with real New Jersey provenance, serving as a documented larval host for the Wavy-lined Emerald, Crocus Geometer, and Hermit Sphinx moths.

Species Overview

Pycnanthemum muticum, commonly called broad-leaved, clustered, or short-toothed mountain mint, is a clump-forming aromatic perennial native to eastern North America, growing 1 to 3 feet tall. It features broader, more lustrous leaves than most Pycnanthemum species, topped by dense clusters of small, pale pink to white flowers surrounded by showy, frost-like silvery bracts from mid-summer to early fall.

Application

• Award-winning pollinator garden centerpiece - 2025 Perennial Plant of the Year
• Naturalized borders and woodland-edge plantings - tolerant of sun to part shade
• Deer-pressured sites
• Larval host habitat for the Wavy-lined Emerald, Crocus Geometer, and Hermit Sphinx moths

Growing Conditions / Specification Data

• Light: Full Sun to Part Shade
• Soil/Moisture Tolerance: Average to moist, well-drained soils; fairly shade tolerant
• Plant Type: Forb
• Mature Height: 2-4 ft.
• Fall Color: Insignificant/None
• Bloom Color / Period: Pink, White; July-September
• Wetland Indicator Status: FAC (Facultative)
• Native Range: Northeast/Mid-Atlantic (full list) - New Jersey provenance confirmed
• Hydrology: Mesic-Moist
• Root Depth: Shallow (Under 12 in.)
• Salinity Tolerance: Low
• Growth Rate: Rapid
• Drought Tolerance: Moderate
• Flood Tolerance: Moderate - A moist-to-dry meadow species, consistent with the general genus (Pycnanthemum) pattern; tolerates periodically wet soil.
• Shade Tolerance: Intermediate
• Growth Habit: Spreading - rhizomatous
• USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-8
• Deer Resistance: Yes (Rarely Damaged)
• Pollinator Value: Larval host, supports bees, supports butterflies, supports moths

Planting Guidance

• Spreads by rhizome to form a dense, weed-suppressing clump; prune roots in spring if a more contained habit is desired. Aromatic spearmint scent persists even in winter.