• pretty blue, low edging and filler plant
• perennial
• easy,
• deer proof as it both fuzzy and aromatic
• tolerates drought and many soil types
• NOT the same as Catnip
• different varieties available, giant and small
• blooms twice in zone three and semi- continually though summer

Nepeta growing through a brick patio alongside wild strawberries that the birds must have planted. They are both welcome guests. I enjoy the flowers. My dogs love the strawberries although usually eat them before they are really ripe!

I don’t know what could replace this plant for me. It is such a happy, giving pretty addition to the garden. People often mistake it for Lavender which it is not but it grows beautifully alongside Lavender creating a continuous display of blue through the summer. Nepeta blooms earlier than Lavender and then the flowers fade away but if they are trimmed back hard, it will rebloom after the Lavender has bloomed. I use my electric shears to just give it a hair cut. It will also bloom sporadically through the summer into late fall. This perennial is so easy to start from seed and once you have it, it will volunteer itself in many places you didn’t think to plant anything. It is easily removed if not wanted but I rarely do. There is also a Giant Nepeta which I have in my perennial border but it is not as prolific and has not volunteered like the dwarf varieties.

This deer ‘so far’ proof plant combines well with Peonies, Lavender, Lady’s Mantle, Grasses, and Spireas for a safe mixed planting.

Many assume this is the same plant as Catnip. It is not. So be careful when purchasing seed or buying a plant. There are many named varieties such as ‘Walkers Low’ but appearance other than the giant variety is very similar. There is also a pink variety which I have not tried.

Above: Giant Nepeta with pink Cranesbill, Nepeta under the roses, close up of dwarf Nepeta.