Catnip (Nepeta - Nepeta)

Its original name is rare in our gardens. plant, got it for a reason. A rather specific smell really affects members of the cat family, like valerian, sometimes it is called catnip.

In this article, we will consider the types of catnip that are most suitable for the domestic climate, which would be worth planting in our garden, and also talk about the agricultural technology of its cultivation.

Main characteristics

Due to the specific smell, not all gardeners would like to see this representative of the flora in their area. In addition, in the absence of sufficient snow cover in winter, the catnip can freeze out. In addition, the plant does not belong to perennials and to continue the growing season it must be transplanted regularly (about once every three to five years). However, not all types of catnip have an unpleasant aroma, but there are rather pretty specimens with a palette of blue colors that are rare for garden flowers. And some lovers, on the contrary, use catnip in prefabricated herbal teas, put in various homemade preparations.

Catnip really has a number of medicinal properties. It contains a large amount of vitamin C, which means that herbal preparations containing catnip have an immune-strengthening effect. Catnip also helps against coughs, fever, stomach ulcers, lack of appetite, and has a sedative effect. And if you add it to the bath, you can relieve the symptoms of some skin diseases.

The advantages of a catnip can also be attributed to the fact that it is boldly planted where there are children, it is not poisonous at all. And also this plant is a wonderful honey plant and is able to attract bees to your site.

The most popular types of catnip

Among more than 250 varieties of catnip, any gardener will find one that suits his liking both for its scent and appearance. Consider a few of the most popular and decorative representatives of this numerous species.

Catnip (Nepeta cataria)

Far from the most attractive, but perhaps the most famous of the catnip.

It reaches more than a meter in height, has racemose, semi-umbellate inflorescences, cream-colored, sometimes red spots are visible on them. The length of each flower is no more than 1cm. The stems are branched, the leaves are oblong, in the region of the petioles they are noticeably longer.

Nepeta cataria var. Citriodora

Due to its rich lemon scent, this is the so-called lemon catnip among the people (although from a botanical point of view this is not true).

Its bright smell is due to the presence of a large amount of essential oils. It contains nepelactone, carvalol, nerol, limonene and others. It also contains tannins and terpenes. This type is most often used in herbal medicine.

In the wild, lemon catnip can be found in fields, forests and meadows. We quite often see it on our plots as a weed, without even knowing about its benefits.

The leaves of this catnip are also oblong, with jagged edges, pubescent. The flowers are blue, white and lilac.

Large-flowered catnip (Nepeta grandiflora)

A tall plant (from 50cm to 1.5m in height), has branched stems with elongated, thin leaves. Their shape ranges from oval to lanceolate on a single stem.The leaves are heavily pubescent, making them appear bluish from the inside.

Contrary to its name, the flowers of this catnip are far from the largest. They are collected in long brushes, and the length of each flower reaches 1.5 cm. Outwardly, the flower is dissected, asymmetric, with jagged edges. The middle part of the flower is much longer than the rest. The flowering period of the large-flowered catnip falls in mid-June-early August. The color palette is within the blue and violet range.

Semi-seated catnip (Nepeta subsessilis)

The most attractive and actually large-flowered species. A bouquet of these flowers can be placed at home.

Flowers of this worthy representative of catnip are collected in false whorls and form an ear, 10 to 30 cm long, on which about 60 flowers are formed. Each flower can be up to 4cm in length. Flowers are usually painted in a deep blue color, however, varieties painted in pink and blue shades are occasionally found.

The color of the catnip is semi-sedentary in the midst of summer (in July).

As for the leaves, they are quite wide, from oval to lanceolate, serrated, saturated green.

Siberian catnip (Nepeta sibirica)

Another very effective representative of catnip. The leaves of the Siberian catnip are very similar to the semi-sedentary, however, they are more pointed and jagged along the edge. The lower leaves are attached to the stem with short petioles, and the upper ones are completely sessile. The leaves have a pleasant bright smell. Flowers also exude a delectable honey scent. They form panicles, collected in brushes. The length of one flower reaches 3-4 cm, the flowers themselves are dissected, with a long narrow tube. Siberian catnip blooms from July to August with light blue flowers.

The plant, although quite tall (1m tall), is slowly growing, from which it looks quite neat.

Fassen's Catnip (Nepeta × faassenii)

The most common hybrid variety in European countries. It was bred in the Fassen nursery of the same name, in Holland, in the 30s of the twentieth century.

This catnip has creeping stems, 30-60cm high. Leaves are oblong, with villi, a little grayish, are held on the stem by petioles. This species blooms throughout the summer season, and quite abundantly, mainly with lavender flowers. Small flowers have a light pleasant aroma.

Among the representatives of the Fassen catnip, there are several varieties worthy of special attention with flowers that have a different palette - from white to purple.

So, variety Walker's Low has blue, lilac flowers and purple cups. This variety grows up to 60cm, has a dark foliage shade.

For the first time this variety was discovered in the garden of Mr. Walker in Ireland (in connection with which it got its name), and then transported to a nursery in England, from where it received its wide distribution since 1988.

Six hills giant, also known as the giant catnip (Nepeta x gigantea), is a tall (1m tall) variety of Fassen's catnip. This actively growing variety blooms with bluish blue flowers. Such a catnip will have to be in place where large spaces need to be filled.

Catnip Musina (Nepeta mussinii)

This undersized species, reaching a length of 40 cm, is often found in mountainous areas. It is perfectly suitable for the formation of alpine slides. It can also be successfully grown in container pots.

The leaves of Musin's catnip are elongated, jagged at the edges, pubescent, of a grayish tint. The upper leaves adhere tightly to the stem, while the lower leaves move away from it at an oblique angle.

The inflorescences are a bunch of up to ten whorls, collected in a cluster. The flowers themselves, divided into unequal lobes, a little more than 1 cm in length, of a lilac shade, have dark purple specks in the throat.

Transcaucasian cattleman

A plant that grows up to half a meter in length. It pleases with its flowering all summer. Ten-centimeter inflorescences are collected in false whorls (from 4 to 8 pieces per inflorescence), located at the tops of the stems.The flowers are dissected, the lower parts are much longer than the upper ones. The size of one flower is about 2 cm, in the area of ​​the corolla the flower is purple, and on the outside it is white, pubescent.

How to breed catnip

There are two ways of breeding catnip - vegetative and seed. The exception is Fassen's catnip; only the vegetative method is suitable for its reproduction.

Catnip seeds are sown permanently in April-May. In this case, the seeds must first undergo stratification. Seedlings appear very slowly, after 1-3 weeks at a temperature of 16-22 ° C.

After the emergence of seedlings, they must be thinned, keeping a distance of 30 cm between the plants. Several plants can easily grow in one nest.

When harvesting plant materials, only two-year-old specimens are used.

Since the catnip belongs to young plants, after 3-5 years it must be divided. It is advisable to carry out this procedure in May, when the stem is actively growing.

The vegetative method of reproduction is propagation using stem cuttings (carried out in May) or apical, green cuttings (carried out in June).

There is also reproduction by layering, catnip, for example, lends itself quite well to this method of reproduction.

Basic agrotechnical principles of cultivation

All representatives of the catnip family are quite unpretentious, and not demanding on the composition of the soil of the plant.

However, before planting, it is advisable to add some compost or humus to the soil, and in spring the plants can be fed with complex mineral fertilizer. Note that too much fertilizer will result in overgrowth and flowering quality will be significantly affected.

Slightly acidic and neutral soils are favorable for catnips. If the soil is acidified, it will need to be deoxidized, for this in the fall, along with humus, dolomite flour can be added to it.

Despite the fact that the vast majority of catnip nets can easily tolerate hot and dry weather, the quality of the greens will be much higher if they are watered regularly. The semi-sedentary catnip is especially demanding of regular watering, because the coastline is the zone of its natural growth. When watering, pay attention to the fact that there is no stagnant water. To do this, raise the beds where the catnip grows, or choose a place for it with well-drained soil.

This topic is especially relevant in winter. Cattlemen very often suffer and freeze out after winter damping out. Catnip is most susceptible to winter damping. However, at the same time, it reproduces very well by self-seeding, so there is every chance to restore its population without unnecessary effort.

As for the lighting, the catnip needs a sunny place. Although there is an exception to this rule. A catnip, planted in the sun, will bloom in the first season, and in the fall it will finish its life cycle, like an annual. Therefore, in order for it to extend its life for several seasons, it must be placed in partial shade.

In addition to watering, catnip does not need any special care. Unless you cut off the inflorescences that have already finished flowering, and then it is likely that by the fall the catnip will bloom again, although not so intensely.