British summer time begins at the end of March, but the Met Office noted that Meteorological summer will always begin on June 1. Longer days and brighter, warmer weather benefit many gardeners seeking to liven up their beds and borders, with much of the legwork done in spring. But it’s not too late to add more greenery and flowers for those with space to fill outdoors.
While annuals, including nasturtiums, petunias, surfinia, purslane, and zinnias, are all great choices for adding colour to pots and containers, catmint stands out as an aromatic perennial, says the Royal Horticultural Society. Described as “compact and long-flowering”, catmint lives for more than two years and returns yearly with showy flowers.
Catmint (Nepeta) is easy to spot with its grey-green, aromatic leaves that are attractive to cats. Also known as catnip, this beautiful plant is well-suited to ground and container growing, depending on the time of year.
Nepeta belongs to the Lamiaceae family, which includes garden favourites such as salvias, lavender and phlomis.
There are 250 species of the plant scattered throughout Europe, Africa, and Asia, but the RHS highlights the Nepeta× faassenii ‘Junior Walker’ variety for one reason.
Unlike other cultivars, this one is sterile and won’t spread by seed. As a result, the plant retains its impressive lavender flowerheads for much longer.
The RHS said: “This catmint produces masses of lavender-blue flowers from June to September, attracting bees and butterflies throughout the season.”
How to grow catmint
Catmint should be sown in March or April, but it can be planted out in May or June. Gardeners can add pot-grown plants to their garden right now as long as they are well-watered.
First, choose a pot with good drainage and use well-draining potting mix. Next, choose a sunny spot in the garden where the catmint will receive adequate sunlight.
Front borders are perfect for this low-growing floral wonder. In a herb garden, you can plant catmint near rosemary, thyme, marjoram, oregano, or sage.
The RHS notes that catmint grows to about 0.4m tall and 0.4m wide, so it spills out onto pathways nicely and softens the edges. However, it’s important to space catmint plants 30-45cm apart to avoid mildew issues from overcrowding.
When planting container-grown catmint in the ground, use well-rotted organic matter to backfill the planting site.
Getting catmint to flower is light work, but you can encourage a second flush of blooms with some pruning, according to the RHS.
The society instructed: “Prune it by one-third after the first flowering and cut back heavily in late winter to maintain its shape.
“Regular deadheading will promote continuous flowering, and once established, water deeply but infrequently to assist in developing drought tolerance.”
Light mulch is worth applying once a year, but when it comes to fertiliser, avoid overdoing it, or risk floppy stems.
