Nepeta

Botanical/Latin
   Nepeta

Pronunciation
   ne-pet-ah

Common Name
   Catmint

Hardiness zone range
   3 - 9

General Comments
These valuable members of the mint family form low to medium sized spreading mounds of soft green or grayish, aromatic foliage, and have four sided, angular stems, with masses of dainty tubular flowers (usually in shades of blue or lavender), opening first in early summer, and then with appropriate culture, continuing through late summer into autumn.

Uses
Wonderful as spreading mounds of ground cover in sunny, open beds and towards the front of borders, where the abundant flowers provide color and interest among other perennials, shrubs, and grasses.

They withstand hot and dry conditions well; in places like sloping banks, rock gardens, raised beds, or gravel gardens, they are an excellent choice. Deer and rabbits find the aromatic foliage unpleasant to eat, so they are extremely useful where nibbling and deer browsing is a problem.

Light Preference
Sun with some tolerance to partial shade.

Culture
Easy plants to grow and troubled by few pests or diseases; all they need is well drained soil that is reasonably fertile.

An occasional feed given during the season will help to keep them lush and vigorous. They are not heavy feeders, so more than this is not really needed. To prolong the flowering period and keep the mounds neat and tidy, it is important to shear back the old flower heads after flowering. (see Splendor Suggestions for more detail)

Background
The genus Nepeta consists of around 250 species which are spread out over the world, mainly rocky mountainous locations. The common name catmint refers to the extraordinary attraction it has for cats. Often confused with its less ornamental relative Catnip (Nepeta cataria), they are two separate species and cats are attracted to both. They love to lie on the plants and often roll and crush the foliage. It is believed they have a scent that is reminiscent to the pheromones of cats of the opposite sex, which helps to explain why they seem particularly attracted to newly planted specimens (that have had their leaves accidentally bruised during the planting process). It may be necessary to arrange some protection (wire netting) for the first few weeks.

Splendor Suggestions
They tend to bloom in flushes with a succession of buds that are carried on the tips of new shoots. When the majority of blooms have finished and most of the buds have opened into flowers, they should be sheared back to encourage new growth and another flush of buds and flowers. Deciding exactly when to shear calls for a degree of judgment as the plants usually have a few flowers remaining. Individual stems can be trimmed but the most method is to shear back with clippers or hedging shears, cutting the stems back to about 6 inches from the ground. This also helps to keep the mounds compact and tidy. They quickly regenerate new growth and renewed flowering, which comes again in late summer and continues into autumn, until the arrival of frost.

Companion Plants
The silvery foliage combines well with almost everything. They are perfect for pulling together combinations with strong, vibrant colors like the yellows, golds, and oranges of sun loving perennials: Hemerocallis (Daylilies) Coreopsis (Tickseed), Heleniums (Helen's flower), Heliopsis (False Sunflowers) and Rudbeckias (Black Eyed Susan), etc.

If your color preference is for pinks, lavender, and purple, then stunning combinations can be created with the highly colorful heads of Garden Phlox rising above drifts of the soft, silvery ground cover.

As spreading ground cover, they look great in front (and in between) taller, sun loving shrubs like Spireas, Weigelas (especially the new form Weigela `Wine & Roses') and the dark purple spikes of Buddleia `Black Knight' (Butterfly Bush). Other Buddleias with dark flowers like Buddleia `Royal Red', `Dartmoor', or the smaller growing `Nanhoensis Purple' work well, too.