Forum home› Plants

How should I make more nepeta?

wild edgeswild edges The north west of south east WalesPosts: 5,829
in Plants
Last year I bought a couple of pots of nepeta 'Six Hills Giant' as my basic cat mint has been very popular with the pollinators and this seems to be recommended as a better plant. After the bad winter weather though all my nepeta plants are dead except one SHG that was under a tunnel cloche. It's growing with good vigour now and I'd like to divide it or take cuttings to make more plants. It sounds like it grows as easily as most of the mints but I don't know whether to:
Take stem cuttings which will take some time to root and might only be decent plants by next year.
Take rooted cuttings from around the plant.
Or lift and divide the whole thing into 3 or 4 bits.
Or leave the one plant as it is and assume I'll get more flowers this year if I don't muck about with it. I can always take stem cuttings after it finishes flowering anyway.

Posts

  • lilysillylilysilly Posts: 510
    I would advise that you divide your nepeta plant into good sized clumps, two or three only. I divide my nepeta Walkers Low this way. Rooted cuttings from around the plant take forever to make flowering size plants in my experience, and stem cuttings with a heel take a long time too and both need over winter protection I find. Better to divide and plant straight away l have found.
  • punkdocpunkdoc Sheffield, Derbyshire border.Posts: 9,125
    Get a Mummy Nepeta and a Daddy Nepeta..........
    Through early morning fog I see
    Visions of the things to be
    The pains that are withheld for me
    I realize and I can see
  • Cambridgerose12Cambridgerose12 Posts: 866
    punkdoc said:
    Get a Mummy Nepeta and a Daddy Nepeta..........
    I was going to suggest plasticine, myself (sorry @wild edges—it must be too much Easter chocolate)...
  • OmoriOmori The NorthPosts: 955
    I took stem cuttings of SHG last Autumn and will be planting them out soon. They take easily. 
  • BenCottoBenCotto RutlandPosts: 2,359
    I have dug mine up, chopped it into fat pieces and replanted at once and it didn’t even blink. Doing this in early summer, I took the precaution of cutting growth back to a couple of inches and thoroughly soaked the new plantings.
  • wild edgeswild edges The north west of south east WalesPosts: 5,829
    punkdoc said:
    Get a Mummy Nepeta and a Daddy Nepeta.........
    The cultivar wouldn't come true from seed though  o:)
    It's sounding like I might have to leave it for now and take cuttings when it gets the Cancelled Chelsea Chop. Or I stump up and buy some replacements...
  • didywdidyw East SuffolkPosts: 118
    @wild edges - cancelled Chelsea chop  :D
Sign In or Register to comment.