Nepeta 'Cat's Pajamas'

Nepeta 'Cat's Pajamas': Pint-Sized Blue Ball for Tidy Edges

'Cat's Pajamas' looks like it just rolled out of bed and still beat everybody to brunch. A round little ball of indigo blooms with rosy purple calyxes that stay pretty after the flowers fade. LOUNGEWEAR, BUT MAKE IT FASHION.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Nepeta hybrid
• Common Name: Catmint
• Series: A Proven Winners® perennial
• Height: 30–35 cm (12–14 in)
• Spread: 45–50 cm (18–20 in)
• Flowers: Indigo blue with rosy purple calyxes that stay colourful after the flowers fade
• Bloom Time: Early summer to early fall (June to September)
• Foliage: Small, aromatic, green leaves in a ball-shaped mound
• Features: Rabbit resistant

Where to Plant: Its small, round shape makes it ideal for edging a path, lining the front of a border, tucking into a rock garden or filling a container. Plant several in a row for a crisp blue edge, and keep taller, floppy neighbours from crowding it.

Companion Plants: Give compact 'Cat's Pajamas' a sunny, dry bed with pasque flowers, red yarrow and lavender beardtongue. Pulsatilla vulgaris opens silky purple pasque flowers at 20 to 25 cm in April and May. Achillea 'Paprika' adds ruby-red heads at 45 to 70 cm from June to September. Penstemon 'Onyx and Pearls' brings lavender and white tubes on dark stems at about 107 cm in June and July. Pennisetum 'Moudry' arches at 75 to 90 cm with dark, almost black plumes.

Plant Care: Plant it in full sun, in average to lean, well-drained soil. It prefers the dry side and dislikes soggy winter soil. Water through the first season, then only in long dry spells. A light shear in spring keeps the mound tight. Once the first flush of flowers fades, cut it back by about half for a second round of bloom. Cut old stems down in late fall or early spring.

History: 'Cat's Pajamas' was bred by Hans Hansen at Walters Gardens in Michigan, from a 2013 cross between the catmint 'Purrsian Blue' and a selection of Nepeta phylloclamys. It was named the 2021 Proven Winners National Perennial of the Year and was a top performer in trials at Penn State and Michigan State University.

Final Thoughts: Compact, drought tolerant and ignored by deer and rabbits. Plant it at the front of the bed. NAPS ARE ENCOURAGED.