Marvelette White Calamintha is a compact heirloom herb that transforms a sunny garden corner into a pollinator magnet. Snow-white blooms cover these 8- to 10-inch plants by midsummer, flowering within 80 to 90 days from seed. Hardy from zones 5 to 7, this Calamintha nepeta cultivar brews into a fragrant, soothing tea and attracts butterflies in waves without spreading aggressively or demanding much water.
12
Full Sun
Low
5-7
10in H x ?in W
—
High
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Marvelette White delivers dense, tidy growth in a footprint just 12 inches across, making it perfect for small spaces where you want maximum visual impact. The white blooms appear in the first year and bloom prolifically enough to sustain continuous harvesting for tea throughout summer. Deer ignore it completely, and it thrives in full sun on lean soil, asking nothing but good drainage and a little patience.
Brewers prize this variety for its aromatic leaves and flowers, which infuse into tea with a delicate, minty character. Both fresh and dried leaves make an excellent hot tea, and many gardeners enjoy it chilled over ice on warm afternoons. The flowers are edible and ornamental, doubling as a landscape element while providing material for the kitchen.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last spring frost. Sow on the soil surface or just barely press seeds into moist soil at germination temperatures of 55 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Expect sprouts in 7 to 21 days. Keep the seedling area consistently moist but not waterlogged.
Transplant seedlings outdoors after your last frost date once they've developed true leaves. Harden off by exposing plants to outdoor conditions for 7 to 10 days. Space plants 12 inches apart in full sun. These plants are frost-hardy and tolerate cool springs, so they can go out earlier than tender annuals.
Begin harvesting leaves and flowers once plants are established, typically 80 to 90 days from seed. Pinch off flowers and tender leaf tips in the morning after dew dries but before heat stresses the plant. For tea, harvest just as flowers open for the best flavor and aroma. Cut stems back by about one-third at a time to encourage bushier regrowth and sustained production throughout the season.
Pinch back growing tips in early summer to encourage bushier, more compact growth. Harvest flowers and leaves regularly throughout the season; this deadheading naturally keeps plants tidy and promotes continued flowering. No hard pruning is necessary due to the compact growth habit, but you can cut back in early spring if plants become leggy over winter.
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