Small beginnings

While I was watering, I took pictures of these two plants as "before" pictures.

Lemon balm

Peppermint

I've had these plants for years and never had to buy new ones. Every winter they die back to pretty much nothing, the merest glimmer of a leaf when I first look into the pots in spring. But every summer they fill the pots completely and require regular and ruthless chopping back to keep them a decent size. They are just very aggressive growers.

Peppermint, in particular, I've read, is very aggressive, and I've seen advice never to plant it in the ground unless you're willing to eventually have your whole flower bed and perhaps your whole yard become peppermint. I have two pots of peppermint. The other one is already quite well-grown and did not require a "before" picture.