Believe it or not, mint can take a surprisingly serious haircut without disappearing from the garden forever. In fact, cutting back an overgrown mint plant can encourage fresh shoots, improve its shape, and give gardeners another pile of fragrant leaves for tea, cooking, or drying. The trick involves knowing the difference between a confident pruning job and a botanical assassination.
Mint has a reputation for being nearly impossible to stop, and that reputation has some truth behind it. Many mints spread through underground stems and can quickly occupy more garden space than anyone originally intended, which means a healthy established plant usually has plenty of energy below the soil to support new growth. Still, mint does not appreciate every kind of haircut at every time of year, so grabbing the shears and mowing everything to the dirt requires a little more thought.
