Nepeta Photos

Sometime around May a certain fragrance tells us that it’s time for sunny days and warm weather. It’s Nepeta! Catmint, as it is commonly called, is a free bloomer whose billowy mounds of blue-violet, lavender, pink or white flowers are as opulent as its aromatic foliage. Supposedly, this herb renders timid people fierce, and the botanist Tournefort tells of a hangman who couldn’t cut the mustard “until he chewed a little catmint root.” Have some Loosestrife around in case things get out of hand. Cut back in July for an encore in the fall.

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View the catalog page for Nepeta.

Autumn is for Asters....

Aster’s cheerful daisy faces plus the profusion of colors and sizes that make up this genus promise lots of flower power when other perennials have tuckered out. Invaluable for summer and fall gardens, our easy-care Aster offerings are tried-and-true performers in sunny locales with average soil and moderate moisture. Cherished by plant aficionados, flower arrangers, song birds and pollinators, many Aster cultivars work well in either formal or informal venues and can be tucked into stylized meadows, cottage gardens and borders.

Tall ornamental grasses and perennials, like Calamagrostis, Eupatorium purpureum, Panicum or Helianthus serve as intriguing backdrops, while Molinia lends a mysterious element when planted right up front. Late season bloomers such as Persicaria, Solidago, Sedum, Yarrow, Phlox, Verbena bonariensis, Hypericum androsaemum and Selinum wallichianum become colorful cohorts when intermingled with mid-sized Asters!

Beckon American natives and navitars into your garden...

‘Navitar’ is a relatively new horticultural term coined by esteemed plantsman Dr. Allan Armitage, an author and horticultural professor at the University of Georgia. Navitar refers to both deliberately cultivated selections and naturally occurring variations of native plants. The naturally occurring varieties are often found in the wild or possibly discovered in someone’s backyard. Thankfully, many American natives and navitars nourish song birds, bees, hummingbirds and butterflies plus other beneficial insects.

We can make a difference by including numerous plants that benefit pollinators in our landscapes. We hope this selection of natives, nativars and pollinator-friendly plants will inspire you to find some room for them in your border.

All of us Digging Dog plant wranglers wish you Happy Digging!