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Monday 8 June 2009

Walker's Low (nepeta racemosa)

It is rare when I post with just one plant in mind .. I have a modest specimen garden .. one of everything I like .. at least until I REALLY like a certain plant and surprisingly to me at least, I fell for Walker's Low cat mint or nepeta racemosa ...
Why am I goo goo eyed for this one ? .. I am becoming a bit of a lazy gardener .. old age .. old aches and pains .. old everything makes me think twice about upkeep to plants now .. Not to say I won't go out of my way for a beauty that has me in its grip. But who is to say an easy care plant can't be beautiful too ?
I am not a professional and I try never to be one ! .. unless there is "fudge" on the table .. OK .. chocolate too then. My pictures are a gamble even on the best of days .. these ones aren't so bad and I think they show case the grace and simplistic beauty of this plant.


Add to the mix of variables that this one can take the heat .. take the dry conditions (meaning I have yet again not watered the garden .. oops .. they said it was going to rain, I swear !) plus you can cut it back quite severely and it will smile at you again with its blooms : ) heaven knows we can use all the smiles possible in our gardens right ?
There is something about that cool blue and gray green that is calming .. soothing almost .. no, I haven't been in the liquor cabinet again !!
You can let it fall into its own spreading shape (sort of a menopausal comradely ?spell check SAID it was a word ! ) or train it within an obelisk, as I have done in my front garden (forgot those pictures AGAIN) .. just get the whip and chair out, once it knows you mean business .. it behaves !


Now don't you feel just a wee bit better after seeing this beautiful "cat" in an almost natural habitat ? ... if not , we can talk fudge recipes later on .. OK ???

P.S. Do you think I said "again" too many times ? ................... again ????

18 comments:

tina said...

I really like catmint too. I am so glad you posted on it. It is a workhorse here but took a few years to get that way. Now I am a dividing fool moving it to each garden.

CiNdEe's GaRdEn said...

That is pretty! I could grow that here then? If it takes dry heat(-: I will have to look for it(-:
Fudge sounds good!!!(-:It was a busy day here and I am whooped!

Kathleen said...

The composition of your photos is just beautiful Joy. I have a specimen garden too. I like too many plants and have too small a space to do anything differently. Walker's Low has a lot going for it. btw, my 'Maypop' has stalled. It's just sitting there. I did plant it (in the ground) but it hasn't been warm AT ALL. I think it needs a little heat to do something??? What do you think??

Yolanda Elizabet Heuzen said...

My Walker's Low has behaved very poorly as it has gone walkabout. No it hasn't, it's been sat on and eaten by Jeeves. Have to buy another one.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hi Tina .. I think you are right about it being a great work horse .. I think a lot of gardeners feel that way about it too, because there are so many new flashy plants coming out some of the older ones are lagging behind .. I have two of them in the front garden and they add an airy quality to that space .. I am going to become a dividing fool soon too girl, you are NOT alone ! LOL

Hey Cindee girl ! Mista G says hi : ) This should actually do very well in your garden so I would try at least one out .. there are a lot of different cultivars to this plant but try "Walker's" first ? and see what you think . I know what you mean about busy girl .. I had to dig out my old Karly Rose grass .. it died on me (my fault) and thankfully I had ordered another one from Canning and got it in the ground before this big rain day .. phew !! Go have several naps girl ! LOL

Kathleen .. I thought I remembered you saying that about your garden ! We like a little of everything , haha.
I think we are both suffering from the same problem .. not enough heat with sunshine .. mine put a tiny amount of growth on .. it is healthy and quite alive but YES ! we need sun and heat to kick it up a notch girl ! haha

our friend Ben said...

This one is a beauty, Joy! I keep telling myself I need to get some. Right now, I have patches of catnip growing for you-know-who, and am enjoying their minty foliage in the veggie beds and (astoundingly) under the red cedars. And stop talking about fudge! It's been waaaayyy too long since I've had any (or made any), but my waistline keeps telling me I don't dare... sigh.

Gail said...

I love this sweet plant and thank you for the reminder that we can cut it back! Mine is looking a bit ragged...so off with its flower heads! gail

Rose said...

Joy, this is one of my favorite plants! But I can't believe you forgot to mention how much the cats love it, too. Maybe Sophie and Emma aren't allowed into the garden, but Toby has to have his daily walk outside, and Tarzan spends most of his time there, and they all love the nepeta. Of course, I've told them I don't appreciate it when they've flattened the middle of it by taking a nap in it:) For long-lasting blooms and ease in maintenance, you can't beat a nepeta!

F Cameron said...

I have Walkers Low EVERYWHERE! :-) Yes, EVERYWHERE! Did I say EVERYWHERE too many times?

It's the perfect plant, IMHO.

Cameron

RURAL said...

I used to have one, it was lovely, grew very well in a pot, well contained, and yes the colors are stunning. Cool and refreshing on a hot day.

Jen

Laura said...

There are some beautifully blooming catmint in the front landscape at work- one group is planted with Goldmound Spirea. I think it is an awesome combination!

Now, in my best Homer Simpson impersonation-

Hmmmmm.....fuuuddggge!

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Yolanda .. how did you get in between comments like that girl ??
Jeeves OWES you the catmint .. take it out of his allowance until he has paid for a new one .. even if it is in tuna or salmon allowance ?? hehehe

'ben' .. life is way too short not to indulge and enjoy a little fudge here and there (make some girl !!) .. I think that is great that you know who, encourages the use of catmint even in veggie beds ?? not for a certain furry soul's "soul" enjoyment ? LOL

Gail .. there is a certain amount of satisfaction to be had when cutting it back .. I think I was a hair dress/stylist ? in a previous life time ? hahaha

Rose girl ! .. Sophie's birthday is today .. she is of the grand age of 3 (or 21 ?) Emma is still trying to sit on her head on a daily basis (what a little sister won't do for attention ?) .. actually when I have brought some in the house they don't seem interested at all .. but peel a cucumber and Emma sticks to you like glue ! Now what's up with THAT ?
Toby and Tarzan think they are helping you out .. taming the "mint" ! : )

Cameron ......... have you been in the liquor cabinet again girl ?? hahaha .. it is the perfect plant for sure : ) .. pass the sauce girl ! LOL

Jen .. that is what I notice the most about this plant .. the cool colours are refreshing .. and the scent ain't bad either ! : )

Laura ... now I have Homer in my head saying "f-u-d-g-e" like "d-o-n-u-t" ?? LOL
That is a beautiful combination with the spirea ! .. I may have to get more now : )

Carrie said...

Never did I think it could look so good! Lovely post and you mentioned fudge and chocolate, yummmmy! Say 'again' as often as you like, it's your blog!!!

Meadowview Thymes said...

Almost every garden I saw this past weekend had catmint in it! I just fell in love with it! So glad you shared your pictures...just convinced me that I MUST buy one! :)

Anonymous said...

Hey Joy
Does it work when I use anonymous 'cause nothing else seems to work

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hey there Carrie girl ! nice to see you AGAIN girl ! haha .. how could I go for long and not mention fudge or chocolate eh ? .. YES ! nepeta comes in many cultivars .. I have a different older version in one of the side beds that looks pretty too !
You should have one girl : )

MT aka Linda ? Hello there stranger ! how are you ? .. It really is one of the backbone plants I would have in any garden .. you must have one girl ! LOL

Debbie ? is that YOU ? .. I fixed one of the settings so you should comment under anything now .. plus you are automatically signed in if your blog is EBlog .. I still can't get to your blog .. the link you sent just sets me up for mail, it doesn't direct me to your blog for some weird reason (are you out of everything , then copy just the plain address from the top search bar ? .. is this crazy or what girl ? haha

Giddy said...

I purchased a small Walker's Low 5 years ago, and have divided it just about every year. It does very well in my rock garden and I've shared it with lots of my neighbors, donated some to the Clinic landscaping, etc, etc, etc. It's very prolific and you can't beat that just about non stop color! I love it.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hi Giddy girl : )
I just got these last year and bought three of them .. 2 for the front and this one in the back .. it fit in perfectly and I guess I'll be dividing next year by the sounds of it ? You are a very generous gardener Giddy !!