Hoary Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum incanum
Silvery gray-green foliage and white midsummer blooms covered in bees from morning to dusk. The mountain mint for drier, shadier spots.
Typically 1 pint–1 gal · $9–$30 · final price at pickup
- Thu, Aug 138 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Aug 148 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Aug 158 AM – 2 PM
The most adaptable mountain mint for drier, shadier woodland edges. brings the full pollinator performance and deer resistance to challenging sites where other Pycnanthemum wouldn't thrive.
Hoary Mountain Mint is named for the dense white, hoary (dusty-white) covering on the undersides of the broad, ovate leaves. Turn a leaf over and you'll see the dense white hairs that give the plant its common name. The topside of the foliage is a soft gray-green, and the whole plant has a muted, silvery quality that pairs beautifully with the white midsummer flowers and the frosted look of the surrounding bracts. At two to four feet, it's one of the taller mountain mints, with a more open, woodland-edge character that makes it adaptable to drier and shadier conditions than most Pycnanthemum. The mint fragrance is strong and the pollinator performance is outstanding: bees cover the flowers from morning to dusk during the July-August bloom window. The combination of deer resistance, fragrance, pollinator value, and adaptability to drier sites makes Hoary Mountain Mint one of the most versatile mountain mints for gardens where consistent moisture isn't available. It spreads moderately and self-seeds lightly, maintaining a loose colony without becoming aggressive.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown hoary mountain mint propagated on-site at Hill House from regional genetics. Includes a one-page care card. We make every effort to supply plants as listed; occasionally we substitute a similar species of equal value.
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Average
- Mature size
- 2–4 ft · 18–30 in wide
- Bloom time
- Midsummer
- Bloom color
- White
- USDA zones
- 4–8
- Family
- Lamiaceae
- Native range
- Eastern North America from New Hampshire south to Florida and west to Kansas; dry to mesic open woods, woodland edges, and disturbed areas
Care notes for hoary mountain mint.
Full to part sun, dry to average well-drained soil. More shade and drought tolerant than most mountain mints. Spreads by rhizome at a moderate rate. divide in spring every three to four years to maintain. Cut back in early spring. Self-seeds lightly. The mint fragrance deters deer reliably. No significant pest or disease issues.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside hoary mountain mint.
Or skip the guesswork.
Curated packages bundle complementary species for an instant habitat. One reservation, one pickup day, a printed layout map.
Short on Space Package
For gardeners who have an abundance of passion but are short on space, this package features tidy, upright, clump-forming natives that behave and function well in small spaces.
Shade Bed Package
Ferns, sedges, and woodland natives that thrive under existing trees.
Birder’s Paradise Package
For the avid bird watchers and budding ornithologists in our community, the Birder’s Paradise Package consists of species that Hill House Nursery staff and longtime native plant advocates such as Doug Tallamy consider ‘premier bird garden plants’.