Catmint, Walkers Low

Nepeta racemosa, commonly called catmint, is Native to the Caucusus and northern Iran. It is a low-growing perennial that typically forms a spreading clump of decumbent, ascending and upright stems to 12” tall and 18” wide. Features gray-green, hairy, ovate leaves (to 1” long) with crenate margins, prominent veining and heart-shaped bases. Leaves are highly aromatic when crushed or bruised. Pale lilac to deep violet two-lipped flowers (1/ 2” long) clustered in loose raceme-like verticillasters (false whorls) bloom in spring. Bloom may continue throughout summer into early fall under proper growing conditions and with proper shearing of spent flowers. Although Nepeta cataria is the true catnip which drives house cats ecstatic, the leaves of this species are also attractive, albeit somewhat less enticing, to cats. N. mussinii Spreng. (plant named by Curt Polykarp Joachim Sprengel, 1766-1833. German professor of medicine and botany) is synonymous with N. racemosa, but N. mussinii hort. (plants sold in the horticulture trade) is synonymous with N. x faassenii.