The Mint Pool

This is an idea that probably properly belongs in the Botanic Cathedral, but I thought the idea was so lovely that I’d give it a page of its own. The mint pool was a part of the garden before the ninth century, often part of the cloister garden. Helen Noyes Webster, in her book Herbs: How to Grow Them and How to Use Them, describes this “pool”:

Somewhere I have seen a curious old wall picture of this interesting picture. As I remember it, an old monk, with robes tucked under his girdle, bends stiffly over his garden of mints which seem to be of many kinds. In the distance we recognize tall angelica or it may be lovage, but this rocky pool seems to be in a low, disused, unornamented part of the garden-just where we would expect the mints to grow. Through a crude sluice of hollowed log, which looks moss-grown and slimy, the water is dripping from somewhere into a shallow and mud-bound pool.

This would be an excellent idea for any wet, rocky, or otherwise unusable part of your garden. Mints thrive in many conditions that kill other plants (indeed, often mint is so successful it invades parts of the garden where it is unwelcome). A cool grotto, with some running water, would be nice if planted with several different varieties of mints. My favorites include chocolate (black) mint, orange mint, and apple mint. This could also be adapted for use on a city patio, where a hidden faucet could slowly drip into a terraced planting full of mints….which could quickly cascade over the side, and maybe even find purchase in the walls, so that the soon the area is covered with these attractive, aromatic herbs.