Part of the catnip patch

[angieh]

They are in a biodegradable liner inside the handing basket. I wondered if I just dug a hole and put the whole thing in, so as not to disturb the roots. Are they annuals DM - or perennial like other sorts of mint?

[dandysmom]

Actually I'm not sure, think they're perennial in my climate. Hard to tell because of the reseeding ......

[dinahsmum]

My 'Catnep' is taking over the world. I've taken some pics but Photobucket id down so I can't post yet. The bees love it, so I can't pull it up yet but I will be happy to lose it!

Edit: Well, that didn't take PB too long.

Spot the Bentley tail!

It's not the most beautiful of plants, is it? And the cats aren't interested at all

[SageCat]

That might be the 'Six Hills Giant' one you've got there. You can get smaller and tidier ones. Catmint is also very similar but with different properties and cats aren't interested in that at all. The one that I've got is a lovely plant with gorgeous lavender/blue flowers. They're perennials that you just cut it right down at the end of the season and it just shoots up again in the Spring. My little Sophi used to lay under it rolling around in ectasy with this spaced-out out look on her face. When I got YumYum, I made her a little muslin parcel packed with it, and it's turned out to be her favourite toy!

Some cats couldn't give two hoots about it though!

Here's a little bit about it if you're into herbs/herb lore like myself which is from

http://www.catsincharge.co.uk/acatalog/catnip.html

-Lots of sniffing and purring
- Followed by rubbing the head and cheeks in it
- Followed by the whole body roll
- Followed by lying there in pure ecstasy
- Followed by the humans yelling at me to stop killing the plant!
Apparently about 10% of cats are not affected by catnip - but I am!

ALL ABOUT CATNIP
It is a perennial of the mint family. Catnip was cultivated for cats by the classical Greeks and Romans and reached English herb gardens in the 13th Century. Centuries ago the human used to eat catnip in salads and also used it as a seasoning - not available in Tesco these days though! The humans also make tea out of it (I'm just grateful they don't roll in it like me - think of the damage they could do).
GROWING CATNIP
Catnip is easily grown in any garden soil and may be increased by dividing the plants in spring, or by sowing seeds. The plant has an aromatic, characteristic odour, which bears a certain resemblance to that of both Mint and Pennyroyal. There is an old saying about this plant:

'If you set it, the cats will eat it
If you sow it, the cats don't know it.'

And it seems to be a fact that plants transplanted are always destroyed by cats unless protected, but they never meddle with the plants raised from seed, being only attracted to it when it is in a withering state, or when the peculiar scent of the plant is excited by being bruised in gathering or transplanting. Hmmm

CATNIP TEA
The principal culinary and medicinal use of catnip is as a tea, which is reputedly calming and sleep-inducing. Sounds like my humans need a few pots a day of the stuff! The English are famous for their tea drinking and in pre-Elizabethan times (the first one not the current one!), the beverage of choice was a relaxing cup of catnip tea. Today catnip remains one of the favourite herb teas for sending both adults and children off to sleep. Studies conducted in the late 1970s confirmed that catnip is indeed a potent sleep-inducer for humans.

For assisting in the relief of stress, headaches, tummy upsets and insomnia, a cup of catnip tea can help. It's relaxing properties can help soothe pain, nervousness, tension and headaches. Good stuff eh?

HOW TO MAKE CATNIP TEA
To make a cup of catnip tea use 1 teaspoon of loose dried catnip with 1 cup of boiling water. Make sure the mixture is steeped only and not allowed to boil - this will spoil it. Strain and serve. Try it with lemon or sweetened with honey. Some enjoy this herbal tea with lemon and it can be sweetened to taste with honey. Catnip tea can be consumed up to three times daily.

[angieh]

DM - at least the bees like it, which is great!

SageCat - great link and info - thanks for posting that.

[dandysmom]

Yes, interesting, SageCat. DM, yours looks exactly like mine, and rampant isn't strong enough to describe how it takes over! It's as bad, if not worse, than mint!! I suppose we could control the growth a bit by cutting off the flower heads ......