Nepeta x faassenii (Catmint) – Hardy Perennial (Set of 3 or 6)

Catmint makes a soft grey green mound smothered in lavender blue flowers from late spring right through to early autumn.

It grows 30 to 45cm tall and 30 to 45cm wide, forming a neat spreading cushion, and the aromatic foliage releases its scent whenever you brush past. Few plants flower for as long or draw in as many bees, and it is a natural along a path edge, at the front of a gravel border or spilling over the side of a container. Deer and rabbits generally leave it well alone.

Give it full sun or a little light shade and free draining ground; once established it shrugs off dry spells, poor soil and exposed coastal sites. The plants arrive established in 1 litre pots, and three or six of them planted 30 to 40cm apart will run together into a drift within a season. Cut it back hard after the first flush and it will flower all over again by late summer. One word of warning: cats like to roll in it and can flatten a young plant, so a few twiggy sticks over the crown for the first season is time well spent.

Cultural Information

• Common Name: Catmint
• Fully Grown Height and Spread: 30 to 45cm tall and 30 to 45cm wide
• Growth Habit: Low, mound forming and spreading
• Perfect For: Path edging, gravel gardens, cottage borders, ground cover and containers
• Foliage: Aromatic grey green leaves
• Flowering Time: May to September
• Planting Position: Full sun or partial shade, including dry and coastal gardens. Grows well in containers
• Soil Type: Well drained. Tolerates poor, dry and sandy soil
• Hardiness: Fully hardy in the UK, though it dislikes cold wet ground all winter
• Maintenance: Cut back after the first flush of flower for a second wave, and tidy old growth in early spring
• Seasonal Interest: Spring, summer and autumn
• Type: Hardy herbaceous perennial