Nepeta racemosa ‘Alba’

DWARF WHITE CATMINT

Nepeta racemosa ‘Alba’
DWARF WHITE CATMINT

Nepeta racemosa ‘Alba’ gives a mass of snow white flowers over aromatic grey-green foliage, all summer long. Repeats of blooms just keep coming.

Perfect as a edge or groundcover

So Dwarf White Catmint is such an elegant choice to place under roses, create a border edge, or plant up in a feature container.
Because this stylish combination of white flowers and grey foliage, can set off all other colours beautifully, and tie together so many different colours.
And the repeats of  mass blooming just keep coming all summer long.
While Nepeta racemosa ‘Alba’ has such compact growth and gives such excellent value without taking over or becoming floppy.

SEED SOWING ADVICE: QUICK & EASY

Sow indoors in punnets at any time / or scatter in garden in spring.

First sow seed on the surface of good quality seed raising mix. Press the seeds gently into surface to ensure good contact.
Then cover the seed lightly with sieved mix to depth equal to the diameter of seed.

Now thoroughly moisten the punnet by standing it in a shallow water bath.
And allow the moisture to percolate up to the mix surface from below/

Then place the punnet in warm, well-lit position. Light helps germination with these seeds.

Continue to keep moist by misting from a spray water bottle.
Covering with a clear plastic lid can also help to maintain moisture.

Temperatures of 15-20°C optimum for rapid germination.

Seeds germinate in 7-14 days approx.

SEED COUNT: 75 seeds per pack approx.
(We always aim to exceed the stated seed count, and give a generous serve).

GROWING: Nepeta racemosa ‘Alba’ DWARF WHITE CATMINT

– Height with flowers: 30cm approx.
– Width: 40 cm approx.
– Position: Full Sun or can tolerate a little Partial Shade as long as it is dry shade.
But it really prefers to bask in the sun.

Drought resistant & water-wise

– Soil: Nepeta is not a bit fussy, and will tolerate most types of soil. As long as it is well drained.
But Nepeta racemosa will kiss you goodbye very quickly if it becomes waterlogged.
And it is perfectly happy in sandy, stony, gravel and poor soils.
In fact Nepeta racemosa will prefer it, and tougher conditions will just keep it beautifully compact.
Water-saving: Nepeta racemosa is a very water-wise plant.
It is ideal for hot, dry, arid or coastal gardens, or those with sandy, poor soils.
Rated as drought resistant. So once established it will require little and infrequent extra water.
– Frost: Nepeta racemosa is extremely frost hardy, and can endure even hard frosts to below -20C.

Useful companion plant

– Aromatic: Both flowers and foliage have a very pleasant aroma. And happily the scent just gets better the hotter, drier and tougher the growing conditions get.
– Growth: Evergreen perennial clump (or ever-grey in this case).
– Beneficial for wildlife: Bees, Butterflies and other beneficial pollinators just love buzzing around and feeding from the nectar rich flowers. One plant in flower is a supermarket for bees, because there are so many flowers to feed from for such a long time.
– Companion plant: Nepeta racemosa has a long tradition of being used as an insect repelling companion plant with roses, veggies and fruit orchards, because of its aromatic qualities. And this dwarf white form is a perfect underplanting or edging.

Hardy & easy

– Care: Hardy Nepeta racemosa could not be easier to grow.
It is rarely if ever subject to pests and diseases, and requires little to no maintenance.
However it is a good idea to shear it back hard after each round of flowering. Then it will pop back into full flower very quickly.
– Deer & Rabbit resistant: Nepeta racemosa is very deer and rabbit resistant, as they dislike the taste of the aromatic oils in the foliage.
– Origin: All Nepeta racemosa types of Catmint are garden hybrids, originally raised in Holland for prolific flower production. So there is no chance they will self seed in the garden.

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