Mints: A Family of Herbs and Ornamentals [Hardcover]

Barbara Perry Lawton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2002

Mints: A Family of Herbs and Ornamentals is the first book to survey the entire mint family (Lamiaceae or Labiatae), which includes a surprising variety of plants long valued for their herbal and ornamental uses, from rosemary, sage, and thyme to lavender and peppermint. Most mints are easy to grow, sometimes notoriously so, and highly resistant to pests and diseases, which adds to their garden value. Written in a friendly and accessible style, the book features chapters on history and lore, modern uses, cultivation, and distinctive characteristics and classification; a catalog of species and cultivars in 67 genera; and a glossary.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The mint family includes all sorts of culinary and aromatic herbs, from lavender and lemon balm to hyssop and sage. And many of the garden's stalwart ornamentals--ground-covering bugleweed, handsome catmints, and shrubby salvias that put on a grand show of blooms--are also mints. Lawton looks at various aspects of mints and creates a satisfying overview that delves into plant lore and medicinal and herbal uses and details botanical characteristics. Gardeners will enjoy Lawton's recommendations for cultivated varieties of plants, such as coleus, bee balm, and lamb's ears, and treasure the lengthy final chapter, which brings together a thoroughly serviceable guide cataloging 65 genera of garden-worthy specimens with common names, plant origins, and size and description of each species. Alice Joyce
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

I am glad to have this volume on my reference shelf. -- Rand B. Lee, The American Gardener, July/August 2002

She . . . raises mint appreciation to a new level. -- The Journal Newcastle Upon Tyne (UK), June 6, 2002

The first book to survey the entire mint family, from rosemary to lavender to peppermint. -- Garden Specialist, February/March 2002

This book combines clarity, authoritativeness, and thoroughness in a manner seldom found in popular horticultural books these days. -- HortIdeas, May 2002, Vol. 19 No. 5

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 239 pages
• Publisher: Timber Press, Incorporated (April 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0881925241
• ISBN-13: 978-0881925241
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,469,491 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Lots to know about mints, May 14, 2003

By 

Valerie Adolph "Coast Journal" (Pacific Northwest) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mints: A Family of Herbs and Ornamentals (Hardcover)

Mints: A family of Herbs and Ornamentals
Barbara Perry Lawton

I would never have believed that you could write a whole book about mint. But then, I never knew the mint family (Lamiaceae or Labiatae) was such a huge one. It includes 67 genera, of which the commonest are lavender, oregano, nettle, thyme, bugle and rosemary.

Barbara Perry Lawton is a well-known garden writer in the US whose concise, factual style helps her pack a ton of information into each page. Much of her extensive research was done at the Missouri Botanical Garden, which reminded me what a huge asset a good botanical garden is in any community. I also learned that the Missouri Botanical Garden has a world-class collection of early (pre-Linnaean) botanical books. Some of the illustrations in this book are reproduced from drawings made over 400 years ago and they are what helps to make this book unique.

The writer has organized her material well, starting with the history of the mint family and moving on to discuss herbal mints, ornamental mints, weedy mints. After short sections on pests and the botany of mints the writer moves to ?Catalogue of Mints? which takes up about half of the book. This contains useful descriptions of most of the genera and many of the species within them, nicely illustrated with line drawings.

There is a brief glossary, three pages of suggestions for durther reading and an index of plant names.

This is a professionally written and well-researched book, and deserves a place on the book shelf of anyone interested in herbs or botany.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Information Rich!, July 8, 2004

By 

Bugs "Patrick" (Los Angeles, Ca.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mints: A Family of Herbs and Ornamentals (Hardcover)

The mint family is big and diverse and this book covers the whole family. Well researched and concise, it opens with a chapter on the fascinating history and lore, then concludes with a "Catalog of Mints" describing such families as: Sage (Salvias), Mentha (true mint), Monardella such as: Monardella villosa (coyote mint), Oregano, Marjorum and Thyme. Good descriptions including color plates and line drawings. Propagation, growing habits and care, culinary/medicnal attributes are well covered. This book is truly all things Mint!