We have good news if you’ve ever grown catmint and were dissatisfied with how it split open and seeped over onto its neighbors. You’ve never seen a catmint as well-behaved as “Cat’s Pajamas.” Its shape resembles a blue bowling ball in the landscape; it is nicely spherical and completely covered in sparkling blue blossoms for the majority of the summer. It begins blooming a little sooner than other catmints, as well.
Use this plant to create a neat, vibrant border around your vegetable garden so that bees will use it frequently and increase your yields. You may also use this gorgeous blue ribbon to border your front door, drawing attention to it every time you leave the house. This resilient perennial is simple to grow and has a plethora of uses.
Find a place in your landscape that is somewhat dry and gets a lot of sun. The place there is where you should plant “Cat’s Pajamas.” Save your energy for more needed plants as a result of its strong constitution, which means it likes not to be pampered. This plant is able to survive on its own in the sun, heat, moderate drought, and critter pressure.
Know that this perennial will not enjoy the extra step if you like to add compost and other nutrient-rich substances to the soil before planting. It will actually thrive in less fertile soils with lower levels of organic matter. The only actual requirement is that the soil be well-drained, however alkaline to neutral pH soils are preferred. The roots of this plant don’t like to be moist for a long time, especially in the winter.
Choose a site that receives at least six hours of sunshine per day, with the majority of that time falling in the afternoon. Even in warm climates, catmint does not require any shade. It will break open if there is too much shade, water, or rich soil.
Planting ‘Cat’s Pajamas’ in the spring or the fall will result in an extremely hardy perennial. When you pull the plant out of the pot, if the roots are tightly round one other, loosen them up a little to disrupt the “root memory.” By doing this, they will be encouraged to expand rather than keep growing in a circle.
If your soil is thick clay, plant your catmint in a raised bed or an elevated area of your garden. Wet, dense soil is not suitable for this plant. Adding soil conditioner or finely shredded bark to your clay soil will help to enhance drainage. Backfill the hole after placing the plant in it and ensuring that the top of the rootball is level with the soil’s surface all around. To get rid of any significant air pockets around the roots, firmly press it down with your hand.
Water the plant after planting to encourage soil settling. It will require a little more water during the first season as it establishes itself than it will in following years. As soon as the plant’s roots are established, it will be able to seek out the moisture it needs from the soil, becoming independent.
Little maintenance is required once “Cat’s Meow” has been planted in the proper location. This perennial really requires little maintenance.
The most crucial thing to keep in mind when caring for this plant is not to spoil it. It can die from excessive feeding or watering. Your plant is either receiving too many nutrients, insufficient sunlight, or excessive water if it is yellowing, stretching, or flopping. Shear the plant back to the ground in late fall or early spring to provide place for new growth.
Early summer to late spring is when “Cat’s Meow” first blooms, which is typically 2-3 weeks sooner than other catmints. Shear the entire plant back by about half once those blooms have finished blooming, which will probably occur around midsummer. This will encourage new, vigorous growth and a fresh crop of blossoms that may last until the fall.
Unless you plant in extremely sandy soil that is almost entirely devoid of nutrients, fertilizer is not required. In this situation, after the plant starts to grow in the spring, a little amount of slow release plant food, such as Espoma’s Plant-tone, can be administered. No more plant food ought to be required.
Few pests, including deer and rabbits, ever bother catmint because of its fragrant foliage. However, you could discover that your cat occasionally likes to nibble.
When choosing what to plant alongside your new catmint, start by looking for plants that benefit from comparable growing conditions.
Specifically, vegetation that favors full sunlight, low moisture content, and lean soil.
Remember that it takes this perennial a few years to reach its full maturity. Even though the plants you plant in your garden might be modest the first year, they frequently grow back the next year twice as big. If you plant it too close to its neighbors, you may need to transplant it at some point in the future.
You could choose to plant “Cat’s Pajamas” Dianthus with other perennials that bloom in the same general timeframe since it blooms initially in late spring or early summer until July (shown above). This pair will infuse your yard with color during the first half of the growing season. When “Cat’s Pajamas” displays its second flush of flowers in mid- to late-summer, later blooming perennials like daylilies are also suitable companions.
Due to their comparable general shapes and stylish color schemes, “Cat’s Pajamas” and blue fescue grass (shown below) form a pleasant planting pair. Even when the catmint isn’t in bloom, the blue tones of the grass maintain the aesthetic.
You should plant something taller and in a contrasting color behind “Cat’s Pajamas” to really let its blue blossoms stand out. Colors like yellow and purple make particularly lovely neighbors. You could like it with Spilled Wine weigela or the perennial sunflower with gold flowers called “Tuscan Sun.”
TOP 3 REASONS TO GROW
This perennial blooms for months starting in late spring, even with no maintenance.
Pollinating bees and perhaps a few hummingbirds stop by these flowers for a lunchtime snack almost every day.
Cat’s Pajamas won’t rip open and suffocate its neighbors like some larger catmints or take up too much space in the garden.
Love the way Nepeta from “Cat’s Pajamas” looks? Shop online or at your neighborhood garden center to find it.
Cat’s Pajamas catmint spreads, right?
The Cat in the Hat Catmint is a lovely, long-blooming plant that enhances any landscape! It is resistant to deer and rabbits and can withstand drought. This perennial may fit in tiny settings thanks to its petite size. It fills your environment with color thanks to its continuous blooms, which are a distinctive indigo blue!
Although the foliage is a deep green and fragrant, it’s the blooms that really stand out. They are an indigo blue color and are available all summer. The rosy purple calyxes persist after they have peaked and provide interest. The fragrant blooms cover the entire plant, from tip to earth. Its tendency of growing upright and resembling a ball adds to its appeal. Its aroma that is released when the stems are broken is how it got its name. It has a spread of eighteen to twenty inches and a compact height of twelve to fourteen inches. The Cat’s Pajamas Catmint fits in practically any space thanks to its size. Use as a container plant, edging, bulk planting, and border plant. Its foliage and cut blooms make wonderful accents to bouquets. It is an excellent choice for focus points and works well in tiny areas.
When ought catmint to be sown?
This perennial flower that thrives in cool climates often features blue trumpet-shaped flower clusters and grey-green leaves with a distinctive mint scent. Even though it’s frequently called catnip, cats don’t find it to be as alluring as the real stuff. However, I’ve seen that if given the chance, our cat will indulge herself. Although the plant can reach a height of 3 feet, it frequently sprawls, creating a grey-green ground cover. In the late spring and early summer, it blooms profusely. In hot temperatures in the middle of the summer, it frequently temporarily stops flowering before starting up again in the early fall, especially if the plant is vigorously trimmed down. Catmint blooms are beloved by butterflies, hummingbirds, and other useful insects.
In our location, catmint is resilient, though certain types may require winter protection in colder climates. Despite the fact that it may be grown from seed, it is considerably simpler to buy plants from a nearby nursery or get divisions from a friend’s garden in the early spring when it first begins to grow. From early spring through early fall, sow. It is simple to divide catmint. Catmint should be planted in full or partial sun in humus-rich, compost-added soil that is well-drained. Plant where it will receive afternoon shade if you’re growing in one of our region’s warmer areas. In the garden, space plants 1 to 2 feet apart.
Water newly planted plants well. They may be resistant of drought once they have grown. To help keep weeds at bay and the soil continuously moist, mulch with bark and spread compost around the base of plants in the spring.
If you aggressively deadhead flowers and prune the plant back by two-thirds after each flush of blooms, you may keep catmint in practically constant bloom from late spring until fall. After a few years, springtime division of the plant will encourage renewed development and result in the production of more plants for friends and other plantings. Catmint doesn’t self-sow because it has few pests and sterile seeds.
The traditional cottage garden plant catmint frequently grows with peonies, roses, coreopsis, and delphiniums. It’s a fantastic filler plant to add color and green foliage between later blooming flowers because of its spreading tendency. It thrives when planted in rock gardens next to walls so that it can cascade over them. It can look a little rangy, so it’s not the best option for more formal settings.
With blue-violet flowers and a neater appearance than other types since it doesn’t spread as much, Walker’s Low is a more recent variation.
White Wonder and “Snowflake” are rare white blooming plants that only reach a height of one foot.
The enormous plant and bright blue flowers of Six Hills Giant are well recognized.
Dark blue flowers on 1 to 2 foot tall stems are produced by Blue Wonder.
Do cat pajamas make a yearly comeback?
‘Cats Pajamas’ is particularly well-suited to placing in the front of the border because it is smaller and more compact than the majority of other Nepetas. It is a wonderful addition to the Rock Garden because it is modest and drought tolerant enough.
Maintenance Tips:
The perennial nepeta “Cat’s Pajamas” requires little maintenance. It is devoid of pests, is not eaten by animals, and can withstand drought and bad soil.
Like many Nepetas, it can benefit from a shearing in the middle of the summer to revive its growth and promote more profuse reblooming. If/when the habit becomes out of control or the flowering appears to be declining, this is performed by pruning the stems down to a few inches. The plant will grow back within a few weeks to produce a new crop of leaves and flowers. While not essential, this mid-season pruning may help the plant maintain its finest appearance.
Pests/Problems:
The majority of browsing species, such as deer and rabbits, find it unpleasant because of the mint-scented foliage and blooms.
But cats are drawn to it, and if they roll around on the plant, they might ruin its shape.
Companion Plants:
Early in the spring, it starts to bloom, and it keeps flowering for the most of the summer. It can be paired successfully with a variety of perennials. Its early blue flowers go well with Dianthus’ pink or white flowers. Its mounding appearance contrasts nicely with the more vertical form of dwarf daylilies and ornamental onions, both of which bloom in the summer. Try planting it alongside smaller decorative grasses, perennial geraniums, coreopsis, and Stachys ‘Pink Cotton Candy’.
Is the perennial plant Nepeta cat’s pajamas?
Nepeta “Cat’s Pajamas” (Catmint), a dwarf herbaceous perennial with a compact ball-shaped habit, is ideal for small gardens. The foliage is topped with long, black flower stems that bear beautiful spikes of indigo blue flowers with pink purple calyces from early summer to early fall. Cat’s Pajamas generates blooms from the ground up to the tips of the stalks for greater effect than other varieties of catmint that only produce flowers at the top of the stems. In addition, the foliage’s tiny, fragrant, gray-green leaves deter rabbits and deer. Catmint is an excellent garden plant since it requires little maintenance and has long-lasting, drought-resistant blossoms. To create a garden landscape that is bursting with color and to savor its mint aroma when bruised, plant in huge drifts along a walkway. Fantastic for both edging and close to the front of the border!
- Usually reaches heights of 12–14 inches (30–35 cm) and widths of 18–20 in (45-50 cm).
- The ideal growing conditions are ordinary, dry to medium, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. In hot summer climates, offer some mild shade in the afternoon.
- This outstanding performer is amazingly low-maintenance, highly adaptable, and may be utilized in a variety of settings, including the front of perennial borders, gravel gardens, cottage gardens, and wildlife gardens. It works well for edging beds and walks as well. Nepeta is ideal for underplanting roses since the colors go well together and the foliage covers the rose plants’ exposed roots.
- hummingbirds and butterflies are drawn to it, but deer and rabbits avoid it.
- Very pest- and problem-free plant that grows very quickly. Watch out for powdery mildew or leafhoppers.
- To encourage a more compact size, it may be pruned before the first flowering. To promote a second blossoming, shear flower spikes once they have finished blooming. It is best to divide plants in the spring or fall.