Nepeta racemosa

Nepeta racemosa Walkers Low

Nepeta - often known as catmint - is a plant that I have seem to have always grown. It is a vestige of my cottage garden years but has remained in my garden because it does well in Sydney's climate and is one of the plants I use to soften my brick walls by growing it at the edge and allowing it to spill over. It also looks effective growing along a path. There are various cultivars, but the one I grow is called 'Walker's Low' (ht 40 cm). It has lovely mauve flowers and pungent-smelling foliage, which has a silvery-grey hue. It loves sun and copes with dryness well. I cut it all back in autumn or early winter and it will regrow in early spring, flowering from mid-spring until autumn. Nepeta belongs to the Lamiaceae family of plants. This species comes from Caucasus, Tukey and Iran. Propagation is by division.

This plant is attractive to bees.