Does catmint like sun or shade?
Give catmint plenty of space as it tends to grow wider than tall. Although it prefers full sun, catmint will thrive with some afternoon shade. Keep new plants or transplants watered until they can fend for themselves. After that, established plantings are drought and heat tolerant. Growth habit: Catmint is a perennial plant that can grow up to 3 feet (90 cm) tall. Since it is a perennial plant, it will come back year after year. Flowers: Catmint flowers are small and tubular and come in shades of blue, lavender, pink, and white, depending on the variety.Once established, catmint is easy to grow and requires little care. Flowers are produced over a long period, but it’s a good idea to trim them back after blooming to keep the plant neat and to encourage more to form. Once growth dies back in late autumn, cut back the dead stems before new growth appears in spring.If you want to prevent and contain the spread of your catmint, the right time to prune it is in the spring between February and March. Tip: Pruning the plant in the autumn will not be rewarded, be sure to wait until spring. After all, if catmint is cut back in autumn, it unnecessarily weakens it before the cold season.Protecting Catmint in Winter After cutting the top growth to 4-6 inches above the ground, a 2-3 inch mulch of leaves or finely shredded bark around the base of the plant will insulate the roots and crown. The mulch will need to be pulled away from the crown in the spring so that new growth is not disturbed.If you want to keep your cat entertained indoors as well, you can also plant catmint in a pot or tub as a houseplant. To do this, you only need a sufficiently large planter, which should have a drainage hole. You can ensure that water can drain well and prevent waterlogging with this drainage hole and a saucer.
What are the disadvantages of catmint?
What are the disadvantages of catmint? One downside of catmint is its tendency to become floppy and look a bit wild in the summer. Some older types can also self-seed easily. To tackle these issues, choose a compact variety that doesn’t produce seeds and trim the plant in mid-summer to refresh its appearance. Pruning can be done to keep Catmint from overgrowing its boundaries or to keep the flowering stems from flopping. Deadheading individual flower spikes will help to keep Catmint looking tidy and healthy. Cutting back main stems will encourage side shoots to form and eventually produce more flowers.You can buy catmint in pet shops as a spray, in toys or in the form of dried leaves and flowers. However, as the plant acts like a drug for our pets, it is best to use it now and then instead of using it permanently. Some cat owners also plant catmint themselves in the garden for their outdoor cats.Catmint is drought tolerant and thrives on neglect, making it good for beginning gardeners, low-maintenance landscapes and water-wise borders. Hardy in USDA zones 3-8, plants are virtually pest and disease-free, while the mint-like scent repels deer and rabbits.Catmint is a low spreading herbaceous perennial that grows 12-15 in. Its aromatic foliage is comprised of pale green heart-shaped leaves with serrated margins; tall spikes of deep lavender-blue flowers occur in mid to late spring.
What does catmint do in winter?
Catmint is a hardy, herbaceous perennial that needs very little extra care or maintenance during the winter. This plant goes dormant and will die back completely in the coldest of the hardiness zones. Catmint may stay semi-evergreen in warmer climates. The plant still goes dormant, but for a shorter period of time. Catmint (nepeta)is not at all like regular mint. It spreads very slowly for me, is not at all invasive, and is just a nice perennial flower that dies down in winter. You need to cut off the dead stems so the new growth looks good again come spring. I also cut mine back after first bloom to get a second summer bloom.Kitten Around’ is a selection of hybrid catmint that resulted from a cross between Nepeta × faassenii ‘Purrsian Blue’ and the hybrid cultivar Nepeta ‘Psfike’. Mature specimens take on a compact, rounded habit, reaching up to 14 tall with a 22 spread. The blooms are a bright blue-purple.
Is catmint easy to grow?
Catmint is a carefree, easy-to-grow plant with an extra-long bloom time that deserves a spot in any landscape. A reliable long-lived perennial, catmint (Nepeta) is a member of the mint family. It produces aromatic gray-green foliage and upright flower spikes in shades of lavender-blue, pink or white. Catmint, also known as catnip (Nepeta cataria), is very popular with our pets. Its smell in toys or on sprayed utensils almost magically attracts velvet paws: It entices them to play, romp around and chase or ensures complete relaxation – as you can see from the pleasant purring of your pet.Cats can safely nibble and eat catmint leaves, stems and flowers – indeed many cat toys are stuffed with dried catmint leaves.Catmint repels certain rodents and insects, like mice and mosquitoes, while attracting bees with its long bloom time.What is clear, however, is that catmint contains a substance called nepetalactone. Nepetalactone is probably used by the plant as a natural defense against insects and pests. This substance is very similar to the natural sex pheremones of cats. This would also explain why male cats in particular are so fond of catnip.