Barbara Perry Lawton. Mints: A Family of Herbs and Ornamentals. Timber Press. 2002.

Mints have been used throughout history as spices, medicines and even as housecleaning products. Many of our herbs, including thyme, sage, rosemary and basil, are in the mint family. True mints form just one portion of this large family of plants.

Lawton spends three chapters discussing the mint plant family. She divides the plants in to herbs, ornamentals, and weeds. This information is followed by a discussion of pests, diseases and a brief discussion of mint botany. The final chapter presents a "Catalog of Mints", including both those used as herbs and those considered ornamental plants. I was surprised at how may of my favorite garden flowers are in the mint family.

Anyone interested in learning more about the mint family will find this book to be easy reading. The chapter topics are arranged in a logical manner. The author's writing style makes it a book good for both the general gardener and the plant specialist who insists on having Latin names for all their plants. May I suggest this adding this book to your wish list?

Note: The term "mint" as used in this book may refer to either the herbs we call "mints" or to those plants from the plant family that is called mint. This can be a bit confusing to new gardeners. You may find comparing plant families to your family an easy way of understanding this situation. In most families, everyone shares the same last name. This family consists of the parents and children. You are also in a larger family consisting of uncles, aunts, grandparents and cousins who may have different last names. If you refer to the "White family", you may be talking about either your immediate family or about all your cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. This larger family may have individual families with varying last names.