About

Nepeta racemosa 'Superba' is a herbaceous perennial in the mint family grown for its aromatic foliage and violet to lilac-blue summer flowers. It forms a compact mound to about 0.3 m high and 0.45 m across, making it suitable for the front of a border or as ground cover. Flowering runs from June to September and the blooms commonly attract domestic cats. The species is native to the Caucasus, Turkey and northern Iran and has received the RHS Award of Garden Merit.

About the genus

Nepeta is a genus of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae. The genus name, from Latin nepeta (“catnip”), is reportedly in reference to Nepete, an ancient Etruscan city. There are 295 accepted species.

Wikipedia contributors, "Nepeta", CC BY-SA 4.0 — Nepeta

In the garden

Nepeta racemosa 'Superba' belongs to the Lamiaceae and originates from the Caucasus region, Turkey and northern Iran. As a herbaceous perennial it reaches roughly 0.3 m in height and 0.45 m across, with aromatic leaves and a succession of violet to lilac-blue flowers throughout the summer months (June to September). The scent of the foliage is a notable characteristic and the flower colour gives a steady wash of cool tones at the front of beds. Gardens cultivate this Nepeta as an ornamental ground cover and at the front of herbaceous borders where its low profile sits well beneath taller perennials. The species has a long season of interest and is one of several Nepetas valued for both scent and flower. The essential oil nepetalactone is responsible for the effect it has on many domestic cats and also influences certain insects, with reported repellency against mosquitoes and cockroaches. Because the species has earned the RHS Award of Garden Merit it is widely grown in British gardens; a noted cultivar with similar appeal is 'Walker’s Low'. Leaving the flower spikes in place through the season maintains both the scent that draws cats and the steady display of lilac-blue blooms.

More in the Nepeta genus

• 
  Nepetacatmint
• 
  Nepeta 'Six Hills Giant'catmint 'Six Hills Giant'
• 
  Nepeta Grandiflora
• 
  Nepeta govanianacatmint
• 
  Nepeta grandiflora 'Dawn to Dusk'
• 
  Nepeta × faassenii 'Blue Dwarf' ('Blauknirps')Blue Dwarf Catmint
• 
  Nepeta × faassenii 'Variegata'Variegated Catmint
• Nepeta 'Romany Dusk'