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Hoary Mountain Mint is a tough, sun-loving perennial native to the Central Appalachians and Western Maryland. It forms upright, dense clumps (2–3 ft) with soft gray-green foliage and silvery bracts that make the plant stand out even before it flowers. In midsummer, it produces rounded clusters of pale lavender blooms that draw bumblebees, small native bees, butterflies, and beneficial predatory insects in huge numbers.
This species thrives in full sun and tolerates the clay-loam, rocky, and limestone-rich soils common throughout the Hagerstown Valley and the Ridge & Valley province. Once established, it is highly drought-tolerant and spreads slowly by short rhizomes, remaining well-behaved in gardens and restoration plantings.
Hoary Mountain Mint is an excellent choice for meadows, dry slopes, field edges, pollinator gardens, and low-maintenance native plantings. It provides long-lasting summer nectar and performs reliably in both garden soils and lean, upland ground.
Light: Full sun to part sun
Soil: Dry to average; thrives in rocky and limestone soils
Moisture: Low to medium
Height: 2–3 ft
Bloom: Mid to late summer
Wildlife: Exceptional for native bees, butterflies, and beneficial insects
Growth: Upright perennial; slowly spreading, drought-tolerant once established
Hoary Mountain Mint is a tough, sun-loving perennial native to the Central Appalachians and Western Maryland. It forms upright, dense clumps (2–3 ft) with soft gray-green foliage and silvery bracts that make the plant stand out even before it flowers. In midsummer, it produces rounded clusters of pale lavender blooms that draw bumblebees, small native bees, butterflies, and beneficial predatory insects in huge numbers.
This species thrives in full sun and tolerates the clay-loam, rocky, and limestone-rich soils common throughout the Hagerstown Valley and the Ridge & Valley province. Once established, it is highly drought-tolerant and spreads slowly by short rhizomes, remaining well-behaved in gardens and restoration plantings.
Hoary Mountain Mint is an excellent choice for meadows, dry slopes, field edges, pollinator gardens, and low-maintenance native plantings. It provides long-lasting summer nectar and performs reliably in both garden soils and lean, upland ground.
Light: Full sun to part sun
Soil: Dry to average; thrives in rocky and limestone soils
Moisture: Low to medium
Height: 2–3 ft
Bloom: Mid to late summer
Wildlife: Exceptional for native bees, butterflies, and beneficial insects
Growth: Upright perennial; slowly spreading, drought-tolerant once established