'Cat's Pajamas' Catmint

The 'Cat's Pajamas' Catmint is celebrated for its multitude of desirable attributes that make it a standout choice for gardeners and landscapers alike. This perennial is recognized for its continuous bloom or rebloom capability, ensuring a long blooming period that can extend throughout the spring and summer months. Its enchanting indigo blue flowers not only provide a stunning visual display but also emit a delightful fragrance, as does the foliage, adding a sensory appeal to any garden setting.

This plant is a true champion in terms of its adaptability and resilience. It boasts an impressive tolerance to both heat and drought conditions, making it an ideal candidate for gardens in warmer climates or for gardeners seeking low-maintenance plantings. Despite its delicate appearance, 'Cat's Pajamas' Catmint is robust, resisting common garden pests such as deer and rabbits, thereby reducing the need for chemical repellents.

Additionally, this variety of catmint is a pollinator magnet, attracting bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, which play a crucial role in the health of your garden and the environment. Its compact size, with a height of 12 to 14 inches and a spread of 18 to 20 inches, makes it perfect for small garden spaces, borders, container gardening, and mass plantings. The mounded habit of this plant contributes to its aesthetic appeal, making it a versatile addition to any garden design.

The 'Cat's Pajamas' Catmint is a versatile and attractive addition to various landscaping designs, offering numerous uses that can enhance both the aesthetic and ecological value of garden spaces. Here are some of its primary landscaping uses:

• Border Planting: With its compact size and long blooming period, 'Cat's Pajamas' is perfect for creating vibrant borders along garden beds, walkways, or patios. Its indigo blue flowers provide a striking contrast against the green foliage, adding depth and interest to garden borders.
• Container Gardening: This variety of catmint is well-suited for container gardening, where its mounded habit and colorful blooms can be showcased on balconies, terraces, or as accent pieces at entryways. Container planting also allows for easy management of soil conditions, ensuring the plant thrives.
• Cut Flower Gardens: The fragrant, indigo blue flowers of 'Cat's Pajamas' make it an excellent choice for cut flower gardens. Its blooms can be used to create beautiful, aromatic bouquets that bring the garden's beauty indoors.
• Edging: This catmint's compact growth habit makes it an ideal choice for edging along paths, garden beds, or driveways. It provides a neat, low-maintenance edge that blooms profusely, adding color and texture to garden edges.
• Landscape Accent: 'Cat's Pajamas' can serve as a vibrant landscape accent when planted in small groups or as a focal point in garden designs. Its long blooming season and attractive foliage make it a standout feature in any landscape setting.
• Mass Planting: For a dramatic effect, consider mass planting 'Cat's Pajamas' Catmint. This approach creates a sea of blue that is not only visually stunning but also highly attractive to pollinators, enhancing the garden's biodiversity.
• Pollinator Gardens: Given its ability to attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, incorporating 'Cat's Pajamas' into pollinator gardens supports local ecosystems while providing gardeners the joy of observing these creatures up close.
• Xeriscaping: Due to its drought tolerance, 'Cat's Pajamas' is an excellent choice for xeriscaping projects. It can thrive in dry, challenging conditions while contributing beauty and color to water-wise garden designs.

Incorporating 'Cat's Pajamas' Catmint into landscaping projects not only enhances the visual appeal of garden spaces but also supports local wildlife and reduces maintenance needs, making it a valuable plant for various gardening endeavors.

Planting and caring for 'Cat's Pajamas' Catmint (Nepeta hybrid) is straightforward, making it an ideal choice for gardeners of all skill levels. Here’s how to ensure your 'Cat's Pajamas' thrives in your garden:

Planting Instructions:

• Timing: Plant in spring or early fall to allow the plant time to establish before the extremes of summer heat or winter cold.
• Location: Choose a spot with full sun. 'Cat's Pajamas' catmint thrives in areas that receive at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily.
• Soil: This plant prefers well-drained soil. It’s adaptable to a range of soil types, including poor soils, but poor drainage can lead to root issues.
• Spacing: Space plants 18 to 20 inches apart to allow for mature growth spread and adequate air circulation, which helps prevent disease.
• Planting Depth: Dig a hole as deep and twice as wide as the root ball. Place the plant in the hole so the top of the root ball is level with the soil surface. Backfill with soil and water thoroughly.

Care Instructions:

• Watering: Water regularly to keep the soil moist after planting. Once established, 'Cat's Pajamas' is drought-tolerant, requiring water only during prolonged dry spells.
• Mulching: Apply a layer of mulch around the base of the plant to retain soil moisture and regulate soil temperature.
• Fertilizing: Generally, 'Cat's Pajamas' does not require frequent fertilization. If growth seems slow or foliage color is pale, apply a balanced, slow-release fertilizer in early spring.
• Pruning: After the first flush of blooms begins to fade, shear the plant back by one-third to encourage a second bloom period. Deadheading is not necessary but can promote a tidier appearance.
• Winter Care: In zones where 'Cat's Pajamas' is perennial, it can be left in the ground over winter. The plant will die back to the ground and return in spring. In late fall, you can trim back the dead foliage, but leaving it can provide winter interest and protection for the crown.
• Pest and Disease Management: 'Cat's Pajamas' is relatively disease and pest-resistant. However, good air circulation is crucial to preventing fungal diseases. Keep an eye out for common garden pests and treat as necessary.

Additional Tips:

• Soil pH: This plant tolerates a range of soil pH but prefers neutral to slightly alkaline soils.
• Companion Planting: 'Cat's Pajamas' pairs well with other drought-tolerant perennials such as lavender, salvia, and echinacea, creating a vibrant and low-maintenance garden display.
• Wildlife Attraction: Its ability to attract pollinators makes it a valuable addition to wildlife or butterfly gardens.

By following these planting and care guidelines, your 'Cat's Pajamas' Catmint will be set for success, offering seasons of vibrant blooms and fragrant foliage to your garden.