You can mow it, and it will just grow back stronger and better than ever - right into your lawn. Mint will break through just about any barrier - even if it's a metre deep. Ask me how I know!!

Okay - how do you know? :)

And what are your suggestions? I'm not much of a gardener - I'd like to be, but don't have much time currently. I want something that will not take much maintenance and will fill in the bare weedy/dusty spot alongside my house. I thought mint might fill that niche . . . any advice you can offer would be much appreciated.

You could try Corsican Mint, which is much better behaved than its rellies. Or why not try something pretty, like violets? I'm assuming the space is fairly shady, of course. And will get some water.

If you aren't going to be walking on it, and if it's a sunny spot, why not some prostrate rosemary?

Anything but MINT... which can be mowed, beaten on, dug up, walked on, refused water, sprayed with RoundUp, or any other dastardly thing you can think up and it will still return... mostly unscathed.

A few years back, my uncle (who was raised on a farm) gave my father some mint, with the express advice that if he was planting it to plant the pot, not just the mint.

My father didn't listen and now an entire area of the yard is mint. (I fight it back out of my garden every year -- tedious and not permanent results.

I will say that it does smell wonderful when the grass is mowed though! Mmmmm.... Nice refreshing scent.

But I wouldn't recommend anyone use it in place of grass unless you never want anything but mint in your yard.

Hi. I am considering mint for the deep shade back entrance - gets almost NO light and is under 30 ft cedar trees - so also very acidic b/c of pine needles - do you think it would grow there? i'm desperate b/c it looks dead earth right now. TIA !!

All mints need light. I’m not sure what will grow in such darkness. If you keep it clean and ”manacured” it should look nice without any undergrowth to the cedars.