Name: Nepeta subsessilis ‘Grandview’ aka nepeta grandview

Type of Plant: A tall perennial plant that’s easily grown from seed. Plant this Nepeta in full sun in a perennial or cutting garden. Hardy in zones 4 (although sometimes listed as low as 3) to 9. The bees, hummingbirds and other pollinators love this plant.

Why I Love/Hate this plant: This is an easy perennial to grow from seed.  I’ve had it come back reliably in my cutting garden for six years or more. I have first loved how the bees and hummingbirds come to this perennial, and how useful it is as a cut flower in early June. Secondly, I like the fact that after the first flowers start to fade I can cut the stems back by half and get more flowers all summer long.

A Word to the Wise: This is a big plant: place this Nepeta

Nepeta ‘Grandview’ grows as large as a mature Peony plant and they flower at the same time. The lavender-blue color of the Nepeta flowers looks great in a bouquet with peonies.

where it can grow to be three feet tall and three to four feet wide…let it have the space it needs. Know that this plant is improved in appearance if you cut all the stems back by half in early July once the first flowers fade. And finally, be on the lookout for self-seeded plants because this Nepeta does gently self-seed in the garden so there should always be two or three to share each year.

I chased a hummingbird around this Nepeta ‘Grandview’ for awhile, trying to get a photo of the bird feeding on these flowers. He/she was camera shy, however, and very fast to zip away as soon as I started to focus.