One homeowner narrowly avoided a major landscaping headache after pausing to ask the Reddit landscaping community for their thoughts on a seemingly innocuous plant.
In a post on the subreddit r/landscaping, they wrote, "Are there any downsides to planting a barrier of mint around my yard?"
They explained their property, which is partially forested, was overrun with ticks. "I've read that mint deters ticks and other insects so I was thinking about planting some mint around our chain link fence so it can propagate and hopefully help keep out ticks and mosquitoes," they continued. "Having a solid supply of fresh mint is an added bonus."
And while they seemed nearly sold on the idea, they admitted, "I'm worried that there is some negative effect that I don't know about or am not thinking of. What do you guys think?"
As it turns out, they're lucky they asked. "Yes there is [a negative effect,]" one person wrote. "The fact that your circle of mint will slowly become a round of mint."
"Mint is crazy invasive and will choke out native plants," one person explained. "Do not sow it, please."
Another echoed the warnings, saying, "DO NOT do this." They explained that after a former homeowner planted mint in the backyard, they have since had to spend "three years and over a thousand dollars" just to manage it — and it still isn't gone.
Indeed, mint is considered invasive in many parts of the world, including much of the U.S. And while it can be an attractive and easy alternative to labor-intensive, water-guzzling grass, it can easily overtake an ecosystem if not carefully maintained.
To prevent this, one person suggested planting mint in containers instead. But even with that approach, another warned it may take over the yard. They wrote, "I had it in a container 2 years ago…it spread to ground cover in my vegetable garden and is running wild."
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🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
One person pointed out as well that, ironically, "Mint, like citronella or lemon grass, don't actually affect insects in their growing form. They only work as a deterrent as concentrated oils."
So while ticks might be unavoidable, having an uncontrollable blanket of mint doesn't have to be.
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