Hey, get your cats straight! CatMINT is not catNIP.
Unlike its cousin catnip (Nepeta cataria), Faassen’s catmint does not drive felines wild, so you are free to plant it in your garden without fear of your yard turning into a hangout for tipsy tabbys.
All members of the Nepeta genus produce nepetalactone, the kitty intoxicant, but the amount in Faassen’s catmint is considerably less than the amount found in catnip.
So you may end up with some super-sensitive kitties in your yard, but not a convention.
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Catmint is a loosely mounded herbaceous perennial with attractive gray-green foliage.
Once established, it’s heat and drought tolerant, which is why I love it for my Austin garden.
Cultivation and HistoryThe name of the genus for this plant – Nepeta – derives from Nepete, an ancient Etruscan city now known as Nepi in Tuscany, Italy.
The plants of this genus are native to southern and eastern Europe, the Middle East, central Asia, and parts of China.
Nepeta is a genus within the mint (Lamiaceae) family and includes about 250 different species of catmints and catnips.
The N. x. Faassenii cultivar was first cultivated by Faassen Nurseries in Tegelen, Netherlands, as a hybrid of N. racemosa and N. nepetella (standard catmint). You may sometimes see N. x. Faassenii called N. mussinii.
Gardening books will tell you this is a full sun plant, but as we’ve discussed, full sun doesn’t always mean full sun.
In the brutal heat and humidity of Texas, for example, it appreciates some shade. When planted in the shade, the plant will be a bit floppy, and function as a
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