If you don’t like kitty cats then perhaps you should not read further! If you can at least mildly tolerate those wayfaring strays, then this plant that I plan on planting this year might be good for you too! It has some profound benefits that don’t necessarily involve fraternizing with your feline friends. The plant in question is catmint. Its botanical name is Nepeta nervosa and is a member of the mint family along with catnip (Nepeta cataria). Catmint tends to not evoke as intense of a reaction in cats as catnip does.
Maureen Gilmore of the DIY network wrote a very interesting article that explained the benefits of the species. To sum it up it repels some dastardly devilish bugs, namely termites, mosquitoes, and cockroaches. Now who in their right mind would not like to repel those bugs? Maybe the birds and bats who like to munch on them but most people would love to repel these insects. According to Gilmore, the insects are repelled by a chemical called nepetalactone which apparently has been found to be many times more effective against the aforementioned bugs than DEET. The nepetalactone is also the same substance that attracts your friendly neighborhood felines. You know what cats around your garden means: fewer mice and rodents! Of course cats like to lay down and roll in it to release more of the oils into the air which can flatten your plants. Some sacrifices for the good of the garden must be made!
There are several varieties of catmint on the market now. The one most companies seem to be pushing is ‘Walker’s Low’ which does not seem to be available from seed. I think the one we will start with will be the Nepeta nervosa ‘Blue Carpet’ since it is available as a seed. According to the description at Park Seed it grows easily and prolifically. They say that it will “spread readily in any soil” which probably means it could take over a garden bed quickly. That doesn’t bother me as I can envision a bed of mostly catmint surrounding our raised bed vegetable garden (not built yet). It should attract bees and other pollinators to the garden area and provide a moat around the garden from cockroaches, termites, and those blood-thirsty mosquitoes. Perhaps around the edge of the catmint bed we could put alyssum or another white flowering low growing annual to define the border. One other point of interest is that nepeta is a perennial that should come back year after year, so once it’s established I won’t need to reseed the area. Park’s also says that it blooms in the first year which makes this perennial very attractive!
Anyone have any experiences or ideas with your catmint you would like to share?
I planted some ‘Walkers Low’ two years ago. It is a WONDERFUL perennial. Grows well, even though it is not in full sun, and blooms for a long time. Love it! A bed full of catmint would be lovely.
Tina,
Where in your garden did you use the catmint? What kind of companion plants did you use if any?
I have it in my perennial garden at the front, under a two year old River Birch. This garden was renovated this past spring and expanded. The catmint had to be moved but still it bloomed beautifully. It is planted next to moonbeam coreopsis, which goes great with the yellow. there is also some dianthus there. The garden is somewhat raised so these plants are at the front and somewhat cascade over. I should be pickier about tall behind short but not always. I like all season color and try to put plants where they do best. Color combinations, fortunately work out well for me. (At least in my mind:)
As you said, some cats like catmint and some do not (well, it’s the same with catnip, too). I’ve not grown catmint, but as far as my catnip goes, I have to put a “cage” over it or the cats would eat it down to nothing. They’ve done it before. I use the bottom of a wire hanging planter turned upside down. The catnip grows through it, allowing the cats to munch away, but it protects the plant crown from devastation. Win-win! So, let’s hope your neighborhood cats don’t like catmint so much.
That’s a good tip Kylee for catmint. I think we’ll be OK with the cats. There are only two that come by regularly and they should chase of the rodents.
I started catmint from seed years ago, and it is still faithfully growing in a difficult area…..next to the foundation of the house, under the eaves where it doesn’t get any rain, so the soil really dries out badly. But the catmint doesn’t seem to mind. It gets only morning sun. Last year I moved it to the back of another flower bed where I grow petunias, for a backdrop. I shear it when it overtakes it’s bounds and it rewards me with another round of blooms. Bees are always buzzing around the catmint. A great plant….I wish you success with it!
Thanks Connie!
I’m looking forward to getting it going. I’ll be planting the seeds very soon.
I love catmint! It’s beautiful when in bloom and it blooms for a long time. I have it growing in several areas of my yard. I snip a few leaves and bring it in for my indoor house cats…..they love it!
Stacey
Nepeta nervosa seems to be devoid of nepetalactone, the active chemical which has the ecstatic effect on cats and presumably acts as mosquito repellent. This seems to be backed up by the research, the abstract says "No nepetalactone was observed in shoots of N. nervosa". You can find this information here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20307630
Yatzek