Nepeta 'Purrsian Blue'

Nepeta 'Purrsian Blue': Compact Periwinkle That Spills Just Enough

'Purrsian Blue' has the attitude of a pampered show cat that has never once fetched its own dinner. Periwinkle flowers packed tight along the stems over a neat grey-green mound. GROOMED TO PERFECTION.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Nepeta × faassenii 'Purrsian Blue'
• Common Name: Catmint
• Height: 36–46 cm (14–18 in)
• Spread: 46–76 cm (18–30 in)
• Flowers: Small periwinkle blue flowers in dark purple calyces, closely spaced along the stems
• Bloom Time: Early summer to early fall (June to September)
• Foliage: Aromatic, small, grey-green leaves in a rounded mound
• Features: Rabbit resistant

Where to Plant: Use it along the front of a sunny border, beside a path, or in a gravel or rock garden where its soft mound can spill a little over the edges. A row makes a low blue edging that stays neat all summer, and it fills out a large container nicely. It's happiest in lean soil.

Companion Plants: Plant 'Purrsian Blue' in a sunny, dry bed with red poppies, ruby rosettes and plum sedum. Sempervivum 'Ruby Heart' tucks in at the front at 8 to 10 cm with ruby-centred rosettes. Sedum SunSparkler® 'Plum Dazzled' adds plum leaves and raspberry flowers at 20 to 23 cm from July to September. Papaver 'Brilliant' opens fiery red poppies at 60 to 80 cm in May and June. Panicum Prairie Winds® 'Niagara Falls' arches behind at 120 cm with powder-blue blades.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun and average to poor, well-drained soil. Skip the fertilizer, which makes catmint loose and floppy. Water regularly in its first season, then only during long dry spells. Heavy, wet clay in winter is the main risk, so improve drainage before planting if your soil stays soggy. A light shear in spring keeps the mound compact. After the first flush of flowers, cut it back by about half and it will push out a second bloom. Leave old stems over winter and tidy them in early spring. Divide in spring every few years if the centre opens up.

History: 'Purrsian Blue' came out of the Walters Gardens breeding program in Zeeland, Michigan, the same program behind many Proven Winners® perennials. It shares the improved, tidy habit of the earlier 'Cat's Meow' on a slightly smaller, more compact plant.

Final Thoughts: Drought tolerant once established, and deer and rabbits leave it alone. Give it sun and let it lounge. BLUE RIBBON, OBVIOUSLY.