Nepeta cataria Citriodora

Nepeta cataria Citriodora, also known as lemon catmint, is identical to the species except that its aromatic foliage gives off a lemon scent when crushed. This sturdy little perennial for dry and sunny areas forms clumps of green foliage with branched spikes of white-pink to mauve flowers in summer. It is hardy and easy to grow, perfect for rock gardens or natural-looking borders and sunny containers.

Nepeta is native to temperate regions of Europe and Asia, but has become so widespread in many countries that it is sometimes considered a weed. It is a cousin of mints, thymes, and salvias, and contains essential oils used in herbal medicine.

The 'Citriodora' form is a herbaceous perennial 10 to 30 centimetres (12 inches) in all directions, with a long flowering period from June to September. Its green-grey flowering stems can reach up to 1 metre (3 feet) high. The small white or lilac-pink flowers have red spots on the middle lobe of the lower lip. The inflorescences are short, compound clusters distributed from the top to the bottom of each stem. The leaves are entire, hairy, heart-shaped, scallop-edged and oval. The plant is perennial with partially spreading and partially buried stems at its base, equipped with adventitious roots and dormant buds that will grow new stems the following spring.

Wild beautiful foliage, generous flowering, and easy cultivation make Nepeta cataria and its Citriodora form indispensable for dry gardens. Catmint is an easy plant for flower pots. It is superb in rock gardens or on walls, where it forms a carpet of discreet but charming flowers, like aubrietas or wall bellflowers. In groups and borders, combine it with Montpellier soapwort, Cerastium tomentosum, yellow phlomis, ballota, or shrubby salvias in fuchsia or red.

Catmint has a strange effect on cats. Its tissues contain a molecule called nepetalactone that triggers the secretion of pheromones in their brain.