Nepeta Nervosa Blue Moon
Nepeta Nervosa blue moon
I came across this little beauty last year
Well, when I say little, in actual fact it turns out to be taller than the 12in/30cm described in most of the information available.
blue moon in our garden
Planted in the newly excavated border in the back garden last year in late Summer, where it continued to flower well into September.
Like all true perennial plants it died back completely in Winter.
The leaves started to emerge in Spring of this year, a bit later than many of the other perennials.
Before continuing with the plants performance this year, I have to say that the appearance of the plants purchased last year gave every reason to think that this was a dwarf variety
Purchased in full bloom the leaves were tiny and the pale blue blooms compact.
The label said to expect the plant to reach a height of 30cm, 12in.
This year Nepeta (catmint) blue moon started to flower in the second week of June and by July they were looking stunning even though they had reached a height closer to 60cm/2ft.
I am convinced that the growers spray these plants with a product that keeps them short yet still allows them to flower well.
Why would they do this, well I reckon many people with small gardens are attracted to plants that would look good at the front of the border
Do I have evidence of this, well I did purchase a Japanese Anemone at the same time which had a similar habit and which this year is also 60cm tall.
Also, when we moved into our last house way back in 1985 the present owner had said he had sprayed the privet hedge with a growth retardant product. This made the leaves tiny and the hedge did not require trimming, it took two years for the privet to have normal growth. Although I was aware of the existence of such a product at one time, I believe that it may no longer officially!! be available.
Well, this was supposed to be about how Nepeta nervosa blue moon performed in our garden, well suffice to say, bloody good, and even at twenty two inches tall, it doesn’t look out of place.
Oh, by the way, our cat is not in the least bit interested, previously with catmint she would have had her own growth retardant method.
plant description
Nepeta nervosa blue moon is that bit different from other catmints. The pale blue flowers start to show in June and by July the plant is crammed with blooms which remind me of those on the Polygonum bistorta except they happen to be pink.
The clumps of Blue moon may soon outgrow the position where planted, dividing may be necessary after even just two years, but what the heck I am sure you can make good use of the freebies.
If you are trying to reduce the number of bedding plants in your garden Blue moon is a good perennial to consider owing to the very long flowering period which with cutting back the spent flower stems regularly you will find it blooms from June through till September.
I hope you enjoy this perennial as much as we do.
Hardiness *** fully hardy perennial (dies back completely in Winter)
Position *** full sun/part shade
Soil *** most free draining soil types enriched with compost when planting
Blooms *** pale blue lasting all Summer
Height *** 30/35cm. in our garden 50/60cm
Propogation *** divide in Spring
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Holmes Chapel in East Cheshire is the village where we now live. With a population of about six thousand people, it is so very different from the city of Aberdeen where we came from in December of 2013.
Aberdeen is Scotland’s third city, dynamic, prosperous and busy.
How very different it is living where it is so very quiet and peaceful with a population made up of what seems like 75% of the residents are of retirement age, I will have to check out if my estimation is correct.
Well in the short time we have been here our feelings are that the area would benefit greatly if there were a public park.
Last week, our daughter who is going through the, be healthier stage in her life, called and asked if I wanted to go for a walk.
It was a very pleasant evening, so we headed for (The Dane Meadow)
This is an area of land which, through recent grants and help from volunteers has been developed to make it more accessible to walkers and I dare say picnickers.
Its a natural area that looks very inviting whilst entering from the quite magical woodland entrance path.
Well, its not a park, and its not meant to be, and within the whole area we came across another three people together lying in the grass and apparently enjoying the evening sun.
I suppose the problem may be that with the ageing population of the village, the entrance to the area where we joined the meadow may be difficult to negotiate. Get me, I am no spring chicken, just very lucky at the moment to be enjoying good health.
Well anyway, below are some pictures, I must stress they have not done the area justice.
Take care and enjoy your garden
Hi, stumbled upon your site whilst researching this gorgeous Nepeta & was soon engrossed in your posts, much better (truer general information ) than the garden centres etc give, will be catching up on your other posts during the winter months, so thank you for such an informative site.
Go ahead David, send me the link to your post when published.
Hi Alistair,
I am enquiring if I can use your pictures of sedums in return for a link back to your website? The pictures would be included on a pgae about sedums which i am currently writing. They would be attributed to you of course.
Many thanks.
catmint, I did think of you when preparing this post, yes it is a bit one flew over the cuckoos nest.
Hi Alastair, thank you for featuring the plant I identify with. There are a lot of different varieties, colours, shapes and sizes. I like this one even though it sounds like a psychiatric diagnosis. The land you walked on looks great. Got me thinking there are different kinds of parks, formal and wild(ish). That looks like public land, so maybe the local government could just make a few safe paths?
I dont think you would be disappointed with this one Jane.
Hmmmmmmm…… I might give this a go. Need a ‘splash’ of blue in the garden but something new & upright….looks like this’ll fit the bill. Ta x
Debs, out of about 100 pictures which I took of the area that was one which I was also quite fond of.
What a wonderful area for a walk! You are right to say the woodland entrance is magical.
Esther, the growth retardant product does not seem to be freely available for public use, although my parents seem to have passed it on to me, you know, short arse and all that stuff.
I hadn’t heard of a growth retardant before. My first reaction is negative. The first picture on your walk is very atmospheric and lovely.
I have Nepeta Six Hills Giant and the neighbourhood cats haven’t shown any interest in it so far.
Helene, previously when we had catmint it certainly did attract the cats in the neighbourhood, they don’t seem interested in Blue Moon.
I have never grown any type of catmint before, perhaps I should – although with the amount of cats in the area I have now moved to I guess it could be a problem for my own cat, he gets furious if any of them dare to enter ‘his’ garden. The Nepeta nervosa ‘Blue Moon’ looks stunning, I have put it on my wish-list for my sunny border – thanks for introducing me to yet another plant I didn’t know 🙂
Pam, Blue moon does make an impact, I think it may have more of a spreading habit than I first thought.
I never did find out what the plant was, grew at a helluva rate though
Hi Alistair, as a newbie gardener I have been reading your posts eagerly. What a fantastic blog! Thank you for sharing so much info in so much detail. I found your blog as I was researching Japanese Knotweed. We have a plant that looks very much like the one on your Garden Pond post of July 2012. Did you ever find out what your mystery plant was?
I just have the common Nepeta ‘Walker’s Low’ which is very reliable. I love yours, Alistair, because the blooms are so much ‘fatter’ than my skinny ones. I can’t get enough blue in my garden. P. x
Rick, I had been thinking along similar lines, although it is very surprising to me as to how much Lavender I see looking so very healthy around these parts.
Hi Alistair, I always think why struggle to grow lavender in other than the perfect conditions for it when you can use Nepeta and your Nepeta nervosa blue moon looks a little smasher.
Oddly, our very own cat, 16 years old and admittedly getting on a bit, is not interested in the Six Hills Giant – totally unmoved by it. However, a frequent visitor is clearly driven to a frenzy by it! Different stroke 🙂
Sunil, I would think twice if you have suspicions that your actions will attract so many cats to your garden.
Elizabeth, our cat also had an affair with Six hills giant when we were in Aberdeen.
Hi Alistair, Well, I never knew that! It could quite explain why my dwarf lavender is reaching for the skies and the patio rose, now planted in the long border, is competing very well with ‘normal’ sized rose bushes. Although I already grow Nepeta Six Hills Giant, with difficulty having had to put a cage of wire mesh over it to protect it from a neighbouring cat, I have just this week treated myself to Nepeta Blue Dragon, a tall variety growing 18″ to 24″ tall with huge blue flowers. It’s destined for a central position in a newly created flower bed. Thanks for sharing your photos taken at Dane Meadow – they are lovely.
Hello Alistair, Nepeta is one of the plants on my list and I’m hoping to start it off from seed and have clumps of them about the garden. We are surrounded by the cats of neighbours and I wonder what the effect might be of suddenly planting out these cat mints in a border might be. I’ll be fun to record.
I will look forward to being the first visitor to your blog Lorraine. (good luck) ps even after all these years of being a garden enthusiast, only my wife shares the passion.
Thank you, that’s very kind of you. I think I’ll just have to take the bull by the horns, stop procrastinating and get on with it. I just love gardening but unfortunately few of my friends and family share my passion, their eyes start to glaze over if I talk about it for more than a few minutes. Having a blog to share with other enthusiasts would be such a pleasure, I’ve always enjoyed writing too so it would kill two birds with one stone. I’ll let you know as soon as I’ve got it up and running, I’d love it if you were my first ‘customer’.
Hello Angie, this nepeta doesnt have the familiar fragrance of most other catmints. Yes those Chrysanths are a typical example.
Hello Donna, yes I think they could develop this area further. The speed this nepeta is developing, I am going to have loads of freebies.
Lorraine, It has been all trial and error with me. My son in law set up my original site but since then I have learned a lot. Bloogger and wordpress are probably the best which offer free blogs. Idea is to work your way through the process and when complete I will see if I can be of some help and often a google search will give the answer to the problem. good luck
I’m afraid I don’t. I’d love to start one but I’m rather daunted by the process. I have found a good site that talks you through the various steps but it’s the ‘plug-ins’ that baffle me, I can’t get my head round what they are. If you are willing or able to offer any advice, I’d be really grateful
Alistair it is quite a beautiful spot….easily part could have a park like atmosphere while maintaining its wildness. I have a similar nepeta…looser flower heads but similar in growth and appearance and it is just beginning to seed around a bit. Mine in full sun will get to 3 ft tall is is well loved by our hummingbirds….it also flowers long, but your advice to prune is good and if I can I will try it.
I was always under the impression that growers treated plants to keep them small. I know that some of those dwarf Chrysanthemums and the like only remain dwarf for 1 year. Those growers always have a trick up their sleeve, don’t they?
That said, you’ve chose a lovely plant and interesting to see that your cat doesn’t have the same attraction to it than your previous ones in Aberdeen. I have also found that with Nepeta subsessilis, my cats completely ignore this one too.
Thanks Lorraine, I enjoy your visits to my site. (do you have a blog?)
Hello Annette, with the catmint I am not so very annoyed.
Thats interesting Indie, I just recalled getting an aconitum from this very same nursery which was in full bloom,very short and this year it has rocketed. I dont mind the pinching out which can be very beneficial.
I was recently reading an online guide to growing certain annuals( while wondering if I should pinch mine to branch out or not). It was obviously meant for large-scale growers, and it recommended certain chemicals to put on them to make them shorter, but more branching, basically mimicking the pinching effect. I wonder if they did something similar with the Nepeta, going for a shorter habit but more branched and with more blooms to sell it better. Crazy (and rather sad) how they have chemicals for all sorts of things now. The Nepeta is very pretty though, and I like it even at it’s taller height 🙂
I love that catmint and will add it to my ever growing wish list. I too have often bought supposedly dwarf varieties and they have grown to normal size. It can be annoying but in this case I think you have benefited.
You walk in the Meadow looks lovely.
I love this plant, I’ve never heard of it but it’s a definite must have. I have two different types of Nepeta already and will certainly be adding this variety, they’re plants that just keep on giving aren’t they. Thank you Alistair for bringing this to our attention, it really is a beauty.
Thanks for dropping by Cathy, I will have to check out the meadow in Spring.
Alistair, as always, I love your posts! I also have a fondness for Nepeta and had several varieties growing among the roses in our Massachusetts garden. Love your natural park area as well.