Prostanthera cuneata 17cm / 2L Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS
Alpine Mint Bush

Prostanthera cuneata

£19.99
Hardy in the UKSun-lovingEvergreenRHS award winnerLoved by pollinators
Pot size
17cm / 2L £19.99

FREE tracked delivery on orders over £60

Complete the set up
Description

Prostanthera cuneata, the alpine mint bush, is a compact Australian evergreen grown as much for its scent as its flowers. Brush past the tiny, glossy, rounded leaves and they release a warm, minty aroma that carries on a summer evening. From June to August the whole bush is smothered in small white flowers, each cupped bloom marked with purple and lilac spotting in the throat, and alive with bees.

This is the hardiest of the mint bushes and an RHS Award of Garden Merit winner, happiest in a warm, sheltered, sunny spot with sharp drainage. It shrugs off frost and even snow once settled, but dislikes cold, wet winter soil, so a raised bed, gravel garden or container all suit it well. For a season-by-season picture, see our hardy exotics guide.

Water through the first summer to establish, then keep it on the dry side, as it is naturally drought-tolerant. A light trim after flowering keeps it dense and shapely. Its aromatic, architectural form earns a place in an exotic border or among other drought-tolerant plants, and it is superb in a pot by a doorway where you can enjoy the scent, so browse our plants for pots. The bee-friendly summer flowers also make it a lovely choice for a pollinator planting.

Part of our Hardy Exotics range, every plant is nursery-grown and hand-selected for a healthy, well-branched shape before careful packing.

Live Arrival Guarantee

All plants are covered by our 7-day live arrival guarantee. We pack every order in protective, sustainable packaging designed to keep your plants safe in transit, and every plant is checked before it ships. On the rare occasion something is not right on arrival, we will make it good, provided the plant is still in its original nursery pot.

Find out more

What to Expect

Seasonal by nature: what to expect

  • Grown outdoors, the way nature intended. Weather-tested and hardened in real UK conditions, so they thrive in your garden. A few marks on the older leaves are normal, the sign of a tough, real plant rather than a flaw.
  • It follows the seasons. Depending on when you order, your plant may arrive cut back, dormant or leafless. That's healthy: dormancy is the ideal time to plant.
  • Posted, not posed. Big leafy plants like bananas and gingers may be trimmed or gently folded to travel safely. It does the plant no harm, and it powers away again in spring.

Not sure what to expect from yours? Dormant, cut-back or weather-marked plants are all perfectly healthy and normal. Read what to expect through the seasons

Delivery & returns

Order by 1pm Monday to Friday for same day dispatch. Every plant travels in protective, plant-safe packaging with tracked delivery.

Changed your mind? See our Return Policy.

Best quality plants guaranteed
7 day live arrival guarantee
Delivered to your door with care
Earn 99 points with this plant · 5 points per £1 Join free

How to care for Alpine Mint Bush

Plant me in full sun and I will stand a UK winter outdoors.

In their words

What our customers say

Arrived just like the photos - maybe even fuller. Healthy, well-acclimated, and straight into my collection with no issues.

Emily P.

Flawless leaves, stunning variegation, and clearly cared for by experts. It’s already a talking point in my home office.

James R.

Hard to find rare plants that are pet-safe. Ours arrived in perfect condition and looks amazing without any worry.

Sophie L.
Get to know me

About Alpine Mint Bush

Prostanthera cuneata needs full sun or partial shade and well-drained soil. It is hardy to around −10°C, standing an average UK winter outdoors.

Good for

Dry & Gravel Gardens Exotic Borders Pots & Containers Wildlife & Pollinators

Hardiness

TenderVery hardy

RHS H4 · Hardy Exotic · down to around −10°C

hardy in most of the UK with shelter, and worth protecting in the hardest winters.

Position

Full sunPartial shadeSouth-facingWest-facingSheltered

full sun in a warm, sheltered spot for the best flowering and fragrance.

Soil

ChalkLoamSandWell-drainedAcid pHAlkaline pHNeutral pH

light and free-draining, on loam, sand or chalk; it hates sitting wet.

Watering

Water through the first summer to settle the roots, then keep it on the dry side, as it is naturally drought-tolerant and resents wet feet. Give a light trim after flowering to keep it neat and bushy, avoiding cuts into old bare wood. Read moreShow less

Water through the first summer to settle the roots, then keep it on the dry side, as it is naturally drought-tolerant and resents wet feet. Give a light trim after flowering to keep it neat and bushy, avoiding cuts into old bare wood.

Mature size

Height0.75-1 m
Spread0.75-1 m

Reaches full size in 5-10 years

Growth habit

Bushy

Flowering

Jun-Aug · White, Purple

Seasonal colour

Foliage

Evergreen

Pruning

Give a light trim after flowering to keep it compact and bushy. Avoid cutting hard into old, bare wood, as it can be reluctant to reshoot from it.

Toxicity

No reported toxicity to people or pets; the aromatic leaves are sometimes used in small amounts as a mint-like culinary flavouring. Generally considered non-toxic, though it is grown as an ornamental rather than a herb.

Native range

SE Australia

Family

Lamiaceae

Also known as

Prostanthera cuneata

Genus

Prostanthera
Good to know

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you care for Prostanthera cuneata?

Give it a warm, sheltered, sunny spot in light, sharply drained soil. Water through the first summer to establish, then keep it on the dry side, as it dislikes wet winter soil. A light trim after flowering keeps it neat and bushy. Our hardy exotics guide covers what to expect season by season.

Is Prostanthera cuneata frost hardy?

Yes. It is the hardiest of the mint bushes, rated around RHS H4 and tolerant of frost and even snow once established. The key is sharp drainage, as it copes with cold far better than with cold, wet soil. In the very hardest gardens, give it a warm wall or grow it in a pot you can shelter.

How big does Prostanthera cuneata get?

It forms a compact, bushy evergreen shrub to around 1 m tall and wide, and it is easily kept smaller with a light trim after flowering, which makes it very manageable in a border or container.

Can you grow Prostanthera cuneata in pots?

Yes, it is an excellent container plant, and a pot by a door or seating area lets you enjoy the minty scent of the foliage. Use a free-draining compost and keep it on the dry side over winter. See our plants for pots for more container ideas.

Is Prostanthera cuneata edible?

The aromatic leaves are sometimes used in small amounts as a mint-like flavouring, but this is grown first and foremost as an ornamental shrub. Enjoy the fragrance in the garden, and only use any plant in cooking once you are confident of its identity.

Is Prostanthera cuneata invasive?

No. It is a well-behaved, compact shrub that stays neatly where you plant it and is not considered invasive in UK gardens. That makes it an easy, reliable choice for an exotic border or a gravel garden.

Does my plant come with a pot?
Your plant will arrive in its nursery grow pot — the plastic pot it's been growing in. We don't include a decorative pot as standard, and there's a good reason for that: it means you get to choose one that fits your space and style, rather than being stuck with something that doesn't suit your home.

It also means you're not paying extra for a pot you might not want. The nursery pot is perfectly fine to keep your plant in for a while, just pop it inside a decorative cover pot or cache pot and you're good to go. When you're ready to repot (usually after a growing season or when roots start poking out the bottom), you can move it into something more permanent with fresh soil.

If you're not sure what size cover pot to go for, check the pot selector tool listed above, you'll want a decorative pot that's a centimetre or two wider than that to give it a comfortable fit.
How big will my plant be when it arrives?
Every plant on our site includes the pot size (e.g. 12cm) and, where possible, an approximate height. That's the most reliable way to set your expectations, photos can sometimes make a plant look larger or smaller than it really is.

If you're thinking "that sounds quite small for the price," here's something worth knowing: younger, smaller plants almost always adapt better to your home than larger ones. They adjust faster to your light and humidity, put out new growth more quickly, and tend to establish stronger root systems long-term. A plant that grows into your space will usually outperform one that was already big when it arrived.

That said, every plant is an individual. The one you receive may vary slightly in height, shape, or fullness compared to the photo, that's the nature of living things, not a quality issue. We select healthy, well-established specimens, and if you ever feel your plant doesn't match what you were expecting, just get in touch and we'll take a look.
What makes your plants different from the supermarket or garden centre?
There's a big difference between a plant that's been sitting under on a retail shelf and one that's been looked after and cared for by people who specialise in exactly this.

Our plants are grown in house or sourced from specialist nurseries, many of them varieties you simply won't find at your local garden centre or supermarket. Before anything leaves us, it's checked over by our horticultural team to make sure it's healthy, well-rooted, and ready to thrive in your home. We're not shifting volume off a pallet, we're choosing plants we'd want to keep ourselves.

When you buy from a supermarket, you get a plant and a generic care label. When you buy from us, you get the knowledge that comes with it, detailed care guidance, a team you can actually contact if something isn't going right, and the confidence that what's arriving has been looked after properly from the moment it was grown to the moment it reaches your door.

We're a specialist nursery first, not a retailer that happens to sell plants. That's the difference, and you'll see it the moment you open the box.
What should I do when my plant arrives?
First things first, unbox it as soon as you can. Plants don't love being in dark boxes any more than you would, and the sooner yours is out and breathing, the better.

Remove all the packaging carefully, give the soil a check with your finger, and water lightly if it feels dry. Then find it a spot with appropriate light, but avoid putting it straight into harsh direct sun or next to a radiator. Think of it like arriving somewhere new after a long journey: it needs a moment to adjust.

It's completely normal for your plant to look a little tired or droopy after transit. This is called transit stress, and most plants bounce back within a week or two. You might see a yellow leaf or some drooping, don't panic, and resist the urge to overwater or start repotting straight away.

Our advice for the first couple of weeks: leave it in its nursery pot, water it only when the top layer of soil feels dry, and let it acclimatise to your home's light, temperature, and humidity. Once it's settled in and showing signs of new growth, you can think about repotting or moving it to its permanent spot.

Every plant we sell comes with a care guide on the product page so you'll know exactly what it needs going forward. And if anything doesn't look right, get in touch with our team, we're always happy to help.
Will my plant survive being shipped?
Yes! and we go to serious lengths to make sure of it. Every plant is hand-packed by our team with protective wrapping and secure, custom-designed boxes to keep it stable and safe in transit. We've shipped hundreds of thousands of plants across the UK and our packaging methods have been refined over years to handle the bumps and jolts of delivery.

During colder months, we monitor weather forecasts and offer heat packs where needed to protect against frost. In extreme conditions, we may hold your order for a day or two rather than risk sending it out, we'd rather you wait an extra day than receive a stressed plant.

That said, plants are living things, and the occasional transit wobble can happen. If your plant arrives damaged or isn't in the condition you'd expect, just get in touch within 48 hours with a photo, and we'll make it right, whether that's a replacement or a full refund. No fuss.

The short version: we treat every box like it's going to someone who really cares about what's inside, because it is.
Why Grow Tropicals

Plants delivered the way they deserve

Packaged with Care

Packaged with Care

Every order is hand-packed in eco-friendly, protective packaging - refined through thousands of deliveries to ensure your plant arrives healthy, hydrated, and looking its best.

Backed by our Live Arrival Guarantee.

Perfect for Gifting

Perfect for Gifting

From rare collector’s pieces to easy-care favourites, our plants arrive fully potted and ready to enjoy. Add a personalised note at checkout for a thoughtful finishing touch.

Delivered fresh, beautiful, and gift-ready.

Sustainability at Heart

Sustainability at Heart

All plants are ethically sourced from trusted growers, never wild-collected. Every order ships carbon-neutral in minimal-waste packaging.

Good for your home - and the planet.

Verified reviews

Rated by real customers

You may also like

We recommend
Prostanthera cuneata
£19.99