Yesterday I was enjoying the beautiful spring sunshine as I continued to dig out the couch weed on the orchard plot. I stopped for a break and looked over to admire the newly planted flower border. There was something amongst the foliage……
A furry feline pest…..it was Poppy the cat. She is a stray but is looked after by the lady who has the most wonderful wild plot opposite. Poppy often follows Sue to the allotment and spends her days basking in the sunshine. I adore cats but they are funny creatures. They will only visit if it suits them. Having never paid me any attention before it was clear Poppy wasn’t there to see me, but to enjoy the kitty pleasures of our Nepeta Six Hills Giant, commonly known as CATMINT!
We selected this plants because it is a fully hardy perennial producing a stunning blaze of lavender-blue flower spikes from May through to October. It attracts bees, butterflies and CATS!
So why do cats go bonkers over catmint/catnip? There is an active organic compound in Nepeta called Nepetalactone. This compound is believed to mimic a cat pheromone. Cats are attracted by the scent, and it’s through the cats olfactory system, or the system used to process smell that causes this!
Fortunately Nepeta is a fairly vigorous plant. I’m hoping they can sustain the odd Poppy visit and it’s not another trip to the garden centre to replace our plants!
welovegrowingstuff 
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