 Mint has been a basic garden herb for centuries - so basic that it is often consigned to the darkest, driest, least hospitable corner of the plot. Even in those conditions it will generally provide enough foliage to add flavour to a saucepan of spuds on the boil. There are, however, many other types with characteristics that make them more desirable and these are worth growing as decorative and useful plants near the border edge, in a dedicated herb garden or in medium-sized pots on the patio. Many mints have attractive, bright green leaves and some have yellow markings on the foliage. All mints flower, producing spikes or clusters of many tiny blooms - usually lilac or pink though in some cases white - in mid-summer. There are kinds of mint specially good for different culinary purposes. One is best for mint sauce, selected forms of spearmint are superb for flavouring new potatoes and peas, and yet others are ideal for adding an interesting tang to salads. Menthol is the ingredient of all mints that gives them their distinctive smell and taste - simultaneously cool and warming and sometimes, as in the case of peppermint, slightly numbing. In herbal medicine the plant is valued for antiseptic, decongestant and analgesic qualities. That `basic' plant in the tired old mint patch is likely to be spearmint, Mentha spicata or viridis, named for the spearhead-shaped leaves, though often sold as green mint these days. This was introduced by the Romans and is still spreading. It is worth conserving your spearmint while introducing more arresting companions such as: * CURLED SPEARMINT with leaves of similar shape to the old form but wavy leaves and a stronger flavour in some strains, such as the Tashkent form. * APPLE MINT, Mentha rotundifolia or suaveolens, which has pale, roundish, soft leaves, grey-green as they age, and a fine, distinct flavour with hints of apple. It produces wonderful sauce. * BRUNDALL MINT, a British spearmint selection with rich, dark green foliage and strong, sweet/sharp taste. Good for cooking and sauce. Available as young plants from Marshalls of Wisbech, tel: (01945) 466711. * GINGER MINT, Mentha x gracilicis `Variegata', an attractive plant with dark green foliage marked with gold, which has a fruity ginger taste. It is good in salads and for garnishing fruit dishes or decorating summer drinks. * PEPPERMINT, Mentha x piperita, with its peppery, citrus scent. * EAU DE COLOGNE MINT, a form of the same hybrid, are not the best for eating but the refreshing scents of their foliage are pleasant, both in the garden and as a potpourri ingredient when dried. All types of mint grow easily from seed in spring or from pieces of runner, long stems that root on or just under the soil surface. For the quickest results, choose short, healthy sections showing one or two young shoots and some fibrous roots. They like full sun or part-shade and soil that does not dry out. Growing mint in pots has one advantage in that it contains the rampant roots and one drawback - the plants need to be re-potted in autumn or spring every year or two. A virtually continuous supply of leaves can be ensured by growing in two pots which are replanted in alternate years. Pots must be large enough to allow the roots a reasonable run, 30cm or more in diameter and 20cm deep (12in x 8in). Whether in pots or the ground, apply a general purpose fertiliser then spread the roots just under the surface. Once the shoots are showing, feed with a high-nitrogen fertiliser once a fortnight until the plants are established. In pots, continue feeding throughout the growing season and water regularly, making sure the compost remains moist throughout summer. Mint is best used fresh but is easy to freeze just by filling ice cube trays with chopped fresh leaves, and topping up with water. Then all you do in mid-winter is drop the frozen cubes into the pot while the meal's cooking. To dry mint, pick strong young leaves or branches in fine weather and dry them quickly in warm, fresh air. Spread out on trays or hung in bunches in the airing cupboard or greenhouse, they'll be crisp-dry in a day or so. Then crush and store them in airtight jars - ready to be liberated to bring a tasty tang to gloomy winter days. Some people use a microwave oven to dry mint but, to my palate, the older method preserves flavour more effectively. | 
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