Wow, that's spectacular!

I moved my little nepeta baby yesterday. It definitely seemed to be a volunteer rather that coming from an unseen root. I hope it survives in it's new home.

Karen

Cinda, if that photo doesn't inspire people to grow this plant, I don't know what will. Beautiful!

Gorgeous! Thanks Cinda!

That sure does make me want one, maybe several. How attractive are they to cats? I have a mental picture of all the cats in the neighborhood in my flower bed.

Mine was new last year, and small, but neighborhood cats didn't seem to bother with it at all.

Karen

GOOD. Wouldn't this look good with some blue butterfly bushes?

I never cut mine last year, so maybe that's why cats didn't notice it.

Karen

Good move, but they don't really get that big. Do you have to cut them, or deadhead. Also Caryopteris would look good, I ordered a Black Knight but was also looking at Pete Blue. I've seen a lot of blues lately, thinking about a blue bed.

I can't locate a photo of mine! I have 2 Six Hills Giant and 1 Walker's Low. The first couple years I grew SHG I thought it was floppy. So I started growing them in a regular, cone-shaped tomato cage. It works out wonderful! I just keep easing the stems into the middle of the cage. Once it gets to the top - maybe 30"? It spills down over the side, hits the ground and grows a foot or so more on the ground. It looks like a grey/blue/lavender waterfall. I've been doing it this way for at least 10 years. Garden visitors love it, and keeps it from taking over a big area.

I also have a cage by the WL - but it does not get as big, so not as much of a show as SHG in the cage.

I never had trouble with SHG spreading. However, the WL seems to reseed easily, and I use a pre-emergent.

I have 3 outdoor garden cats, and who knows how many strays (a lot of cats over the at least 10 years I have been growing nepeta) - but none have ever bothered the cat mint. They do love catnip toys - but that is not the same plant.

I wish I could find a photo of the SHG in the cage. I will be sure to take some this year.

That's ok Daylilly! Thanks for your efforts, I looked it up. What a wonderful idea with the tomato cage! I would like to have some, please do share your pictures later. I thought I was the only one who used tomato cages for flowers.

I think I've ID'd another Walker's Low volunteer. There are actually a lot of seedlings sprouting there, but too little to ID yet (cotyledon stage).

Karen

My Dropmore hybrid has big buds already; they seem to be forming larger clusters of blooms than Walker's Low. Then again, Dropmore is in a container, and not planted directly in our clay soil.

It's better than sand, I think. I'm just learning that it's far easier to set some things out in containers so they don't languish in the wet.

For those of us who are so bad about bothering to water, clay is a lifesaver. Literally! I'd never trade my clay soil for sandy stuff. Clay can be good stuff- you just have to learn to work with it and how to use it. The "dos and don'ts".

Karen

Sandy soil is wonderful and perfect if you're growing a lot of succulents like I used to do. Clay is okay and good in some places here but not in others. Just need to know which plants can tolerate it well and still thrive.

Right. And 25 years of adding my good homemade compost has made my yard pretty darn good at growing lots of things.

Karen

Dropmore in a container is beginning to bloom.