I think you need to do a Search of this forum for 'mint' and learn just how invasive and aggressive mint is before you plant it in your garden!

If you are still determined to go ahead with your plan, you will need only one plant. It'll fill the area in no time flat, and you'll spend the rest of your life trying to get rid of it. Trust me, this is one BAD idea and you'll truly regret it if you go ahead!!

Don't say you haven't been warned! Mint is a thug and should be firmly contained.

Mint will take over, and you will never get rid of it, so be certain you want it somewhere permanently before you plant it.
That being said, I believe mint has its place.... in a hilly area of the property you don't want to mow (you could run the weed eater over it once or twice a summer), between boulders where other nastier weeds want to grow, in a container on the deck for culinary use.
I have a patch of mint against the house, in an odd corner where the grass won't grow. It looks charming there.
Mint has its place, but be careful with it.

i realize it is invasive and hard to kill. that is why it will be perfect for the curbside planting bed -- you know, the area between the sidewalk and the street where passengers step when they get out of the car, or dogs pee, or kids ride over it with their bikes...

would i need to remove the grass that is there so the mint will overtake the bed?

Remove the grass or you'll have a mess. Not a bad idea for that area, but be warned that the stolens WILL go under the pavement and come up elsewhere... with unfortunate ease.

Difficult areas do require tough plants and mint is one tough customer! :)

I agree on taking up the sod. I think you will be more pleased with the resulting effect. One note, herbaceous herbs die back in winter and will leave the area rather bare until spring - if you live in a frosty area. Make sure you consider all 4 seasons before trying out herbal lawns. There have been articles written on herbal lawns and you may want to look for them to give you some pointers.

FataMorgana

I have a suggestion for that area....thyme!
The low growing, creeping variety, like Doone Valley and Doone Valley Lemon.
They are a great groundcover, evergreen, and not invasive. A very well behaved herb.
Whereas mint spreads by underground runners, thyme creeps along and "roots" itself every few inches, but will not creep under a sidewalk. It likes to "spill over" rocks and walls, which is charming. Doone Valley is only a few inches tall, so you will never need to mow it.
Doone Valley grows very rapidly, and one tiny plant in a
4-inch pot will cover over two feet of ground within two summers. It is a great weed suppressor, and very drought tolerant. Needs full sun. I also cook with this variety, especially the lemon. Smells wonderful.
This has been my experience with it, and I love it in my perennial garden, edging the beds to keep the grass from creeping in, and filling in between the stepping stones.
I step on it all the time (not meaning to, but when I'm gardening lots of plants get stepped on) and it seems to spring right back. I don't know if it can take heavy foot traffic.
I can't say enough about it....oh, once you get a few plants established, you can cut chunks from them and gingerly dig up the rooted area, and plant them elsewhere, easily expanding your supply.

oh i liek this idea for my rosebed....will the thyme choke out the grass, or do i have to remove the rocks and the grass first? See my question i just posted....yes, my XH was not the brightest, but he wouldn't listen to me lol.

Here is a link that might be useful: peppermint as ground cover in rose bed.....

No, I don't think you thoroughly understand how invasive mint is. Make sure you close and lock your windows at night, since mint has been known to creep its vines indoors and strangle its gardeners.

When we first moved to Colorado we got a house that had mint growing in the backyard. There was a strip of it growing alongside the house and a strip alongside the garage. The smell of it just overpowered the entire place. I swear I could smell our house from blocks away. My mom thought it was great and was always sending us to pick some for her tea. It wasn't long before the entire backyard was nothing but mint and just about made me sick. I couldn't stand any kind of mint for several decades, not in gum or tea or anything.

Now I'm starting to like it and some of its benefits just slightly. But I'm growing it in pots so it won't be as invasive. When the pots are full, they are going indoors where there is absolutely no chance of them invading my garden as they will still be in pots in corners all by themselves. Then they will never see the outside world again.

Another plant you can use for the spot you are considering is speedwell. There are different varieties that do well with some foot traffic and it is great in teas. So many health benefits and is fairly tame. I have two different knds of it; one with purple flowers and another with yellow leaves. Tomorrow I plan to get at least one more variety from the local nursery as the teas I have had thus far made me realize I need a LOT more.

I have Doone Valley thyme in what used to be my rosebed...I have since given up on the roses, and now have drought-tolerant perennials. I did not have grass in the bed, but I can say the thyme does a great job of suppressing weeds, including new grass seedlings.
You don't need to remove rocks from the bed, the thyme will creep over what it wants. But, do you have grass in your rose bed?? If so, that may be a problem. Grass is very invasive, on its own.
Rose, does this answer your question?

After getting to know mint, I would NOT plant it in a bed of any kind.....it is too aggressive.
Thyme is much friendlier :)

It was suggested to me from http://www.doityourself.com/stry/how-to-make-homemade-bee-repellent
that planting peppermint around my yard will help control my bee issues. Now reading the past few post on the overwhelming evasiveness of mint... I'm concerned. Thoughts???

Here is a link that might be useful: Bee repelant

Even if an essential peppermint oil would deter bees (which I'm doubtful of), I can't imagine living mint plants to discourage bees at all. This sounds much like one of those things repeated so many times on the internet that it takes on some validity and people believe it's real. Does anyone have some "science" that says this one is valid?

And by "bees" do you mean honey bees, wasps, bumblebees or what? They are all different and deterrents would be different.

FataMorgana

This is a follow-up to all people on this forum that suffer from mint-invasiveness phobia. I have been growing mints for more than thirty years and have more than a hundred varieties. The majority grows in large containers but some enjoy the privilege of growing freely in my garden. Among these are peppermint and spearmint varieties.

And, yes, I agree that mints are adventurous plants that are always in search of new land. But I have never had a problem in getting rid of them or moving them from one place to another, which is sometimes necessary because mints may exhaust the soil.

This does not mean that mint can be left to itself. To keep its tendency to conquer new land within certain limits, it is necessary to remove the rhizomes that grow outside the intended bed region every month or two. If you wish to entirely remove it, then do so to the best you can. After a few weeks it might well be that fresh mint sprouts show up. But this is just a suicidal act because now you can remove the pieces that were left after your first attempt. In my experience mint rhizomes are much more easily removed than, for example, the roots of bishop's or gout weed and couch-grass.

Jan

Janus59, thanks for your post! I've been afraid to put mint in the ground here because of all the horror stories about how invasive it is. I've got a strip of ground on the other side of the fence at the back of my yard that backs onto the lane where the garbage cans stay. At this point it's a symphony of invasive weeds, ALL of which I detest. I don't want to spray Roundup because I've got Confederate jasmine growing on that fence. Do you think mint (which I love, I'm a tea drinker...) might discourage the bad weeds?

Mint versus weeds? I suppose it depends upon the mint and the "weeds" involved. It could be "yes" or it could be "no" but in my opinion, for most cases it would be "no." So if mint is planted in a weedy area, it will most likely stay a weedy area except now it will have mint too. ;)

And as far as "bad" weeds....perhaps it's all the commercials and marketing that give the impression their chemical is the only way to deal with weeds, but the only real way I know that is guaranteed to always work versus weeds is some elbow grease and diligence. Cut the weeds down before they go to seed. Pull them out by the roots. Keep repeating as new weed seed sprouts.

It may take a few seasons, to get it under control. But you will. And once you get the area under control, you have to keep up with the occasional weeding to keep it from reverting. This way is also safe around Confederate jasmine, food/herb plants and other garden desirables.

Combine that with plants that make thick mats and colonies to crowd out weeds to make a lower maintenance area. Daylilies are one of my favorites to use.

FataMorgana