Pycnanthemum muticum Clustered Mountain Mint
About Our Plants
Rare Roots ships live, growing plants in one-quart pots all over the continental US. The rare exception is our slightly smaller 3.5" inch pot, which will be labeled on a few product pages.
The plants are not guaranteed to be blooming when they arrive, and the foliage may need to be trimmed before shipping to fit them in the box safely.
Our Guarantee
We take great pride in growing and shipping healthy plants. Every order is carefully packed with the goal of ensuring your plants arrive in excellent condition and ready to thrive in your garden.
We guarantee that your plants will arrive in a healthy, suitable condition for planting. If your plants arrive damaged, in poor condition, or if you have any concerns about their condition or health upon arrival, please email info@rareroots.com within 48 hours of delivery.
Please include:
- Photos of the plant(s)
- The plant name(s)
- Your order number
This allows us to document the issue and provide the best possible solution.
Please Note
- Damage to the shipping box alone is not grounds for a replacement. We guarantee the condition of the plants - not the shipping box.
- Broken stems, spilled soil, and spent blooms are common during shipping and are not typically harmful to the long-term health of the plant.
- A few days in transit without sunlight may temporarily affect the appearance of foliage or blooms. For the best results, unpack your plants immediately upon arrival and follow the care instructions included with your order.
Without photos taken during that timeframe, we are unable to offer a refund or replacement if the plant later fails to recover.
While we stand behind the quality of every plant we ship, we cannot offer long-term guarantees once plants have been planted. Weather, soil conditions, watering, wildlife, and many other factors outside our control all play a role in a plant's long-term success.
If you ever have questions about planting, growing, or caring for your new perennials, we're always happy to help. Feel free to reach out with photos - we'll do our best to provide guidance and growing tips.
Dormant Plants
Some perennials naturally ship in a dormant state depending on the season and the variety. We document which plants are dormant before they leave our nursery.
If you receive a dormant plant and it does not emerge during its first growing season, please contact us by May 30 of that same year (for plants received in March or April).
Please include:
- A photo of the planting location
- The plant name
- Your order number
- The delivery date
This information helps us properly evaluate the situation and determine the best resolution.
Know Before You Grow
We understand that plans can change. However, we do require at least 72 hours' notice to make changes to an order.
This includes:
- Canceling an order
- Adding or removing plants
- Changing the shipping address
- Delaying shipment
- Any other order modifications
We begin gathering and preparing plants midway through the week prior to shipping. Because of this, we cannot guarantee that change requests made within 72 hours of your scheduled ship date can be accommodated.
Please refer to your shipping zone schedule to estimate when your order will ship. If your shipping zone has already been completed, you can generally expect your order to ship on the following Monday or Tuesday after your order is placed.
Shipping & Delivery
Shipping Address
Customers are responsible for providing a complete and accurate shipping address when placing their order. If you need to update your shipping address, please contact us at least 72 hours before your order is scheduled to ship. We cannot guarantee address changes requested after that time.
Delivery
Live plants should be unpacked as soon as possible after delivery. While our packaging is designed to protect plants during transit, they are living plants and can quickly decline if left in the shipping box.
Once a package has been marked as delivered by the carrier, customers are responsible for promptly unpacking and caring for their plants. We cannot guarantee the condition of plants that remain boxed or unattended after delivery.
Weekly Order Cutoff
Orders placed by Friday at 12:00 PM Eastern Time will ship on the upcoming Monday or Tuesday.
Orders placed after the Friday cutoff will ship the following week's Monday or Tuesday.
Because we begin organizing, pulling, and staging plants before shipping days, this cutoff gives our team the time needed to prepare orders carefully and minimize last-minute changes and shipping errors.
About Perennials: Our plants are grown on our 30-acre outdoor nursery in Virginia (available by mail-order only). They are all considered "perennial" if planted within their preferred zone range.
Perennials planted in the coldest zone listed are considered "tender perennials", and may not overwinter in a severe winter. For example: if a plant is rated for zones 7-10, it would be a tender perennial in zone 7. It's best to plant these in spring or early summer, and preferably in a protected area (such as the South side of building).
You can find your growing zone here: [USDA website]
Description
Pycnanthemum muticum is a 2’-3’ tall, upright plant with silvery green, oval leaves that have sharp tips. Its bloom clusters consist of tiny white to lavender flowers that have a silvery cast. The individual blooms open gradually over a period of six to eight weeks in late summer to early fall. Also called Clustered Mountain Mint, Pycnanthemum muticum has a compact habit that distinguishes this member of the Mountain Mint family.
Its fragrant leaves are sometimes rubbed on the skin to repel mosquitoes. It is a relatively quick spreader with shallow rhizomes that may travel across the soil surface as well as below. It may need to be planted in a large container to control its spread. Clustered Mountain Mint is not as aggressive as Virginia Mountain Mint
Very attractive to pollinators, a 2013 study at Penn State Extension Service showed that it was the most popular pollinator species tested, being visited by at least 78 insects in a few minutes time.
Pycnanthemum muticum has a native range from Texas to Michigan, east to Maine and south to Georgia. It is naturally found in bogs, savannas, and other low areas, as well as mountain ridges and balds.
Clustered Mountain Mint prefers a sunny, wet to moist, well-drained site, but will tolerate part shade, clay soil, heat and drought. It is easy to grow. A Rare Roots' perennial favorite!
Characteristics
- Common Names: Clustered Mountain Mint
- Zones: 4-8
- Light Requirements: Full Sun to Light Shade
- Soil Preference: Prefers moist soil, but tolerates dry
- Height at Maturity: 24-36"
- Width at Maturity: 24-36"
- Bloom Color: White/Cream
- Bloom Time: Late summer to early fall
Special Features
- Attracts: Butterflies. Pollinators.
- Tolerates: Drought.
- Other Features: Container Plant. Fragrant.
Care and Growing Tips
Check out our blog for more gardening tips!
Shipping Info
Fall Shipping Schedule 2026
ALL ORDERS PLACED NOW WILL BE PREORDERS FOR FALL SHIPPING!
Any orders placed now will be preorders for our fall shipping schedule. We will ship orders by growing zone beginning in late August/early September. We only ship on Mondays and Tuesdays to ensure that plants can travel during the weekdays. Orders placed after 12 PM (noon) on Fridays may not ship the upcoming Monday or Tuesday and will likely be scheduled for shipment the week after.
Plants take 2-3 days to arrive after you receive a notification that they've been shipped.
We appreciate your patience while our small team works to get your plants to you safely! If you need a specific shipping week, you are welcome to let us know by leaving a note on the Cart page or replying to your order confirmation email.
Our boxes come in four sizes: 1-count, 3-count, 6-count, and 12-count.
To get the best shipping rates per plant, try to fill a box of 3, 6, or 12. Shipping rates are calculated at checkout by weight, package size, and distance.
Our nursery is located in Virginia, and it can sometimes be costly to ship to the western US. Ground shipping is too slow cross-country for the plants to arrive safely, so our options are limited to faster shipping methods. We appreciate your understanding!
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
We ship via UPS or USPS (the Post Office), and their ship rates are automatically generated through our site. We do not profit on shipping costs. We are working with these providers to get our customers the best rates possible.
All ship times are subject to change if extreme weather conditions are present here at the nursery or at the shipping destination.
Please note: Depending on the time of year, the foliage of the plants may be trimmed to fit into our shipping boxes. This could delay the flowering of the plant, but many perennials actually benefit from being cut back.
We are currently not able to ship to Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and outside of the US.