Also known as catmint, this short-lived herbaceous perennial is bound to entertain both your cats and children. Once the cats get a whiff of of the delectable scent from the leaves they lose all common cat sense and roll around on the ground, take off like shots out of a gun, and engage in all sorts of crazy and unexpected activity. The wild antics last just a short while until the sweet beasts give them selves up to a cat-nap. The plants grow 2-4′ tall and have upright reddish-brown stems with narrow leaves up to four inches long. The leaves have deep finger-like lobes with green top sides and silver bottom sides covered with fuzzy white hairs. Leafy clusters of small yellow-green flowers appear from late summer into fall at the stem tips and leaf axils and are attractive to butterflies and bees. Plants are coarse and not particularly ornamental but are well worth growing for their cat-attracting leaves.
Type: Short lived herbaceous perennial
Height: 1-3′
Bloom Color Small (1/4-1/2”) white, tubular flowers are borne in massed spikes in summer.
Bloom Time: Summer
Light: Full sun to part shade.
Soil: Average, sandy, well drained, pH 6.6.
Hardiness: Zones 3-9.
Karen Meyers