Mint - hardiness

I enjoy growing mint, and for the past few years have pot grown some of the common varieties
I have recently bought quite a few more unusual varieties.
These are also growing in pots on the patio.

The more common varieties are fully hardy. They always come up again in the pots every spring.
But am not sure about the more unusual varieties ?
Do they need some sort of protection over winter ??
Does anyone have any experience with them ??

 

I've grown many varieties over 40+ years and found all of them hardy.
Having had a quick Google too it also reports that all varieties are hardy throughout the UK.
The main reason for dying over winter is wet roots.

 

@Pete8

Thanks for that.

I went to a garden center that had 20+ varieties, so I got them all

 

You don't do thing by halves then
My favourites were applemint or spearmint for cooking and eau-de-Cologne mint just for the wonderful smell and it is what the perfume is made from.

 

They were £1.50 each.
So not all that expensive.

May not keep them all if I don't like the smell / taste.

 

Enjoy!!

I just had a vague recollection that different varieties of mint should not be grown close together, so I had a look at the RHS site which says -

Avoid planting different varieties of mint close together, whether in pots or the ground, as they can lose their individual scent and flavour.

From - Mint

 

These are doing well so far.
Have filled the bigger pots that I have planted them into

Am slowly working my way through them - some seem to make better tasting tea than others.

 

One of my mint pots didn't come this spring. A clone called Desert (Eastern) Mint. Fortunately I had one cutting indoors over the winter. So haven't lost it altogether.

All the others have come up, some slower than others, and are in various stages of growth.

 

I always think of mint as liking a damp spot, never thought of desert mint.

 

one of the things that annoys me is that my local tesco sells mint from egypt. Im not sure how damp Egypt is

 

I think Egypt grows a lot of stuff that is irrigated by the Nile.

 

Mint is very popular in the Middle East. Both as a food flavouring, and as a tea.

 

My mint barely disappeared last winter and I've been using it for a few weeks, needs a good thin out.

 

Can anyone recommend a good mint for tea (healing) please? tia

 

I planted a mint in my garden several years ago. No idea which one. It can grow to over 2ft tall, had thick furry foliage and a wonderful scent when bruised, BUT it is a thug and no use for cooking. My soil is thin, gritty and in full sun but it took off and began smothering everything. I have had a real job to get on top of it. I still find errant shoots popping up yards away from where I originally planted it. I have Spearmint in an old coal skuttle but it is not happy, my garden faces S/ SW with no damp shady corner so cannot give it the conditions it wants.

I would have thought Spearmint would be the best mint to use as a herbal tea, for best efficacity? There are a lot of fancy varieties which although they have different scents I do not think have the best health effects.