Green fingers - pah! More like black! I thought mint was un-killable but mine...

[TheLibrarianIsNotAMonkey]

...is looking distinctly terminal. I'm putting some pics here, can someone have a look and see if they know what it wrong with it. I've read up a bit, is it rust?! Also does anyone know what the flower in the middle is? Thanks

The flower is a Rock Rose (Cistus)

As for the mint, that could well be rust. From recollection, its a right pig to get rid of and would probably require chemicals that you wouldn't want to use on a herb. Other solution is to burn the plants to eliminate the spores before they spread to something else . Is it in a pot to try and stop it taking over? I'm just thinking that if its been getting a bit dry that may have made it more susceptible. If you do decide to start again, maybe bury a pot with the bottom knocked out in a flower bed - stops it spreading but gives it better access to water.

Thanks Tangle. I think I had better get rid of it asap! Damn! I love mint . Do you know if you can take cuttings from a rock rose and if so, how?!

You could always stick a bit in a plastic bag and take it to your local plant centre for a more definitive diagnosis - should be worth a shot before you obliterate it. If it IS mint rust, though, then I've just checked and there isn't anything you can use that's safe for herbs.

Re. the rock rose, one of the ways to propogate it is through soft wood cuttings (although the unofficial version I've used sometimes is to stand some green shoots in a cup of water and keep in a bright place, although not direct sunlight, till roots apear - then pot up). Good luck

Dont worry i killed my mint - it was in a pot -it drowned and i didnt even water it once . Normally i am ok with plants but this year i have even killed the spider plants .

ISnt there an old fashioned remedy for rust that involves washing the leaves with soap solution?

PAH

Consider yourself lucky, mine did not even come up. Planted it months ago, and so far it is minting in action.

LGJ

Oh well, I'm glad I'm not the only one killing mint Tangle, I'd already taken a cutting but treated it as a none-soft wood (hard wood?!) cutting so it probably won't survive but I'll wait and see.
My rock rose is looking amazing today, loads of flowers out. You have to be careful though if you even look oddly at it all the petals drop off!