Calamintha nepeta 'Blue Cloud'

Calamintha nepeta 'Blue Cloud': Minty Blue Haze for Months on End

'Blue Cloud' is a forecast you'll actually want. Masses of tiny lilac-blue flowers drift over a minty mound for months, and the bees and butterflies flock in like they heard about a sale. ONE HUNDRED PERCENT CHANCE OF BUZZ.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Calamintha nepeta 'Blue Cloud'
• Common Name: Calamint
• Height: 25–30 cm (10–12 in)
• Spread: 30–45 cm (12–18 in)
• Flowers: Masses of tiny light blue to lilac flowers in airy sprays
• Bloom Time: Early summer to fall (June to September)
• Foliage: Small, deep green, mint-scented leaves on a low, bushy mound
• Features: Fragrant foliage

Where to Plant: Use it to edge a sunny path, soften the front of a border, fill gaps in a rock garden or spill from a container. It's lovely massed in a pollinator garden, and it's a smart choice for hot, dry beds near pavement.

Companion Plants: Allium 'Ambassador' rises above the calamint with purple globes on tall stems in May and June. Rudbeckia 'American Gold Rush' adds golden daisies from July to October, a bright partner for the soft blue haze. Edge the front with Iberis 'Snowsation', which covers itself in white in May and June. All of them enjoy sun to part sun and well-drained soil.

Plant Care: Plant it in full sun to part sun in well-drained, average soil. It tolerates dry conditions once established and doesn't need rich soil or heavy feeding. Avoid spots where water sits in winter. Water through its first season, then only in long dry stretches. If it gets floppy or tired in late July, shear it back hard to encourage fresh growth and more flowers. Leave the stems standing over winter and cut them down in early spring. Divide clumps in early spring if needed. It spreads politely, not like garden mint.

History: 'Blue Cloud' is a selection of lesser calamint, Calamintha nepeta, a mint-family plant native to dry, rocky ground in southern and western Europe and the Mediterranean, and the species was the Perennial Plant Association's 2021 Perennial Plant of the Year. 'Blue Cloud' is grown for its light blue flowers, where the typical species is white or only faintly blue.

Final Thoughts: Low, tidy, drought tolerant and ignored by deer. Line a sunny path with it. PACK SUNGLASSES, NOT AN UMBRELLA.