There are certain plants I thought I’d never grow in my borders. Nepeta is one of those plants. Who in their right mind would want something in the mint family spreading in their garden? Then, of course, I became better educated about varieties while working at Rolling Green Nursery. I was still wary of nepeta but as I tended the plants, I was learning why so many gardeners asked for it.
It wasn’t until a Garden Conservancy Day Open Day in Maine a few years ago and I really met borders of nepeta that I actually fell in love.
Home of Jonathan King and Jim Stott
Jonathan King and Jim Stott, founders and then-owners of Stonewall Kitchen, invited in the public to wander their home gardens. To make a long story short, nepeta and I have been together since.
I decided on ‘Walker’s Low’ that we sold at the nursery. It’s a very well-behaved plant and blooms for many months from late spring into fall. My worries about spreading like mint was unfounded. You will see a few babies during the summer near the mother plant. You can pull them out or let them go. I usually allow them choose where they want to go.
The plant starts out as a tidy rounded mound in the spring and eventually reaches about 15 – 18 inches tall in my garden. It is lacy and dainty and, yes, it can flop. No problem. Leave it or trim it. It will encourage re-blooming.
I planted drifts of nepeta along a garden path to soften the look of boxwood, to add some color, and to enjoy the aroma when brushed. It does prefer full sun but does quite well in my partly shaded location.
Nepeta is very easy-to-grow and the bunnies in the neighborhood steer clear. Not even a taste. Another good note is nepeta is an excellent source of nectar for honeybees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Right now, with fading blooms in the late summer garden, our nepeta is doing the trick.
I am also in love. Alas, zone 3.
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It is an awesome plant. And it’s pretty cold hardy but zone 3? Are you one zone too cold for nepeta?
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We can grow catmint here in Calgary, I actually saw a huge, very well established plant just today, but it was growing in a rather protected space that made a nice little microclimate. I do like it enough to try, though. Maybe next year.
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The bunnies may not like it, but the bobcats roll around all over it! What’s up with that?
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Eeeew! I wouldn’t grow it in your neighborhood. The felines that wander our back yards are mainly looking for birds. That’s a whole other story… 😡
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When I really wanted to grow a Nepeta, I did so in a hanging basket. I do not think that it was the same that I tried to grow in the ground, but I do not remember the species. I do remember that it was not as good as I thought it would be. It was not a very pretty type either. It is much better now that it is in the ground in someone else’s garden.
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It’s pretty with all of the flowers on it. Cheers!
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The hummingbirds love to disappear in the tiny blooms of the plants. They really don’t need more nectar that I provide but they’re always looking for tubular blooms. So cute!
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I have too many to count, and you are so right – the bees love it. Several of mine are so big though I’m going to have to divide them this fall. They’ll head to our potting party and find a new home at the 2019 plant sale. 🙂
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I’m sure they will sell very well at your annual plant sale…. especially if you have pictures on your labels. Who can resist? I can’t understand why I was a holdout for so long!
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I passed a whole field of this alongside the James River and Rt. 522 when taking Will to launch his kayak to paddle back to Richmond’s Pony Pasture Landing.
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