With Julia Boulton, Beth Chatto’s granddaughter and chief custodian of the world-famous gardens, and her team
How to grow nep eta
I love this extract from Beth’s Drought-Resistant Garden book describing the pace of growth at this time of year - ‘Unlike a painting, a garden constantly changes, is never the same, from one day, even from one hour to the next, especially in early summer when multitudes of plants are thrusting towards the light…’
A favourite plant adding to this fast- moving time of year is nepeta, included in this issue by the garden team who wouldn’t be without it!
Nepeta, also known as catmint, is an invaluable group of plants grown throughout our Gravel Garden and other areas offering full sun and a free-draining soil. Their silver-green leaves can provide a contrast to darker-leaved plants like cistus, dictamnus and agapanthus. Many make attractive rounded hummocks of aromatic foliage, perfect for spilling over the edge of a border. Taller forms, such as N. sibirica and N. ‘Blue Dragon’, are available with fountains of flowers which last for weeks.
Flowers are usually blue or white, but stretching to purple, yellow and pink. There are many forms available to the gardener, plus there are 250 or so species across Europe and Asia. Full sun is their preferred situation, but some are fine in light shade, particularly N. govaniana.
How to care for nepeta
To neaten the clumps and to encourage a second flush of flowers, a hard cut back after the first flowers have faded is needed.
Leave this second flush of foliage in place over winter, waiting until February to cut down to the ground, making way for the new season’s fresh growth.
Good for pollinators great and small
All nepeta species are a valuable source of nectar and pollen for a range of pollinators over an extended summer season. Those with larger flowers can accommodate bumblebees, while those with dinkier blooms support smaller bees and other insects. They are also l
