Cat's Pajamas is a smaller catmint, just 12 to 14 inches tall, that blooms two to three weeks earlier than many larger types. Its long, dark stems hold indigo-blue flowers from the base of the stem all the way to the tip.
Even after the flowers fade, rosy-purple calyxes keep the color going. The ball-shaped habit suits city gardens, edging and the front of the border, and the aromatic leaves discourage deer and rabbits while bees and butterflies flock to the blooms.
What it looks like
Small, tubular, two-lipped flowers in deep indigo blue are set in rosy-purple calyxes and line long, dark purplish stems from near the base to the tips. The leaves are small, oval, gray-green and scalloped, densely packed on branching stems. The plant forms a compact, ball-shaped mound about 12 to 14 inches tall and 18 to 20 inches wide. At peak bloom the flower stems radiate out evenly, turning the whole ball deep blue-violet.
Growing it with lavender
Catmint is one of lavender's best partners: it wants the same full sun and lean, well-drained soil, and its indigo-blue haze blooms alongside lavender and keeps going after the lavender harvest.
Care
Plant in full sun in lean to average, well-drained soil; once established it handles dry spells with little extra water. Hardy in zones 3-8. Shear the plant back by about a third after the first big flush of bloom to tidy it and push a fresh round of flowers.
At a glance
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Botanical name: Nepeta
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Flower color: Indigo blue with rosy purple calyxes
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Foliage: Gray-green
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Growth habit: Compact, ball-shaped mound
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Mature size: 12–14 in tall × 18–20 in wide
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USDA hardiness zones: 3–8
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Light: full sun
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Bloom start: Late-May
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Peak bloom: Mid-June
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Bloom pattern: Long Blooming
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Deer resistance: Resistant
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Pollinator value: Excellent
Sizes and shipping
Dormant bare-root plant, sold in boxes of 25 per variety (order in multiples of 25). Bare-root plants ship or are picked up March 1–May 31 only. They are soil-free, so they may ship to every state in that window. Dormant plants often show little or no top growth on arrival; plant or heel them in promptly.
Lavender companion · grow guide
Community Grower Report
