Spearmint (Mentha spicata), a member of the Lamiaceae, or mint family, is a plant that mankind has cultivated for thousands of years for its fragrance and medicinal qualities. The plants pictured here were a backyard experiment intended to give my daughter some experience with gardening and the enjoyment of fresh, home grown spices.

Notice the square stem visible in the picture above. This is a characteristic of all the mints.

Caution with Spearmint is required because they readily spread by rhizomes and can spread beyond where you want them. Consequently, most gardeners confine them to containers to prevent their invasion and takeover of the garden.

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Henbit, Lamium amplexicaule, is a member of the Mint family Lamiaceae. It is a non-native plant in the U. S. that has spread to many places around the world from its Mediterranean origins. It appears in lawns in 48 of the 50 states in the U.S.

It likes cool, moist conditions and in Texas it is the first colorful thing that appears in the beige colored landscape that is wintertime Texas.

This little plant returns each year from the seeds produced by last year’s crop. Some folks spend lots of money for chemicals to control this plant but, it’s only going to be around until the weather warms up, and like I said, it gives some color to the dull, drab lawn. Plus, it provides nectar for any of the bugs that are awake.

Around my place, I just enjoy the color of the tiny purple flowers and know that the first mow of the season will add a little extra mulch to the lawn.

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The above picture shows a group of Mealycup Sage (Salvia farinacea). They are a common sight in the parts of Texas where the soils are derived from limestone. These plants will grow in clays, sandy, and loamy soils of this type and do well with little water. They can be seen from late spring to early fall. They are short for members of the Salvia genus growing 2-3 feet tall. Like other members of the Mint family (Lamiaceae) they have square stems. This species is very similar to the Blue Sage (Salvia azurea) but can be distinguished by the differences in height and in the amount of hair on their tubular sepals.

Mealycup Sage has the sepals beneath its flowers fused into a tube. Their surface is densely covered with white hairs which gives the light green sepals a grayish color. Mealycup in the name refers to the grayish appearance of the sepals when viewed from a distance. Blue Sage will be a taller plant and its tubular sepals look light green.

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This member of the Lamiaceae or Mint family can grow to 5 feet tall. The shape of the the sage flower is distinctive. The color of its petals can be deep blue, light blue, to almost white. The surface of the plant is covered in fuzzy hairs. The margins of the narrowly lanceolate leaves are entire or broadly toothed. This hairy perrenial can be found in dry calcareous soils throughout the state. They can easily be mistaken for mealycup sage, Salvia farinacea, but close examination of the tube formed by fused sepals will clarify which specimen you are viewing. If the sepal tube beneath the flower is green and not covered with dense white hair, you are looking at Salvia azurea, Azure Blue Sage. Both species of sage produce flowers from mid-spring to late fall.

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