Catnip - 200 Seeds

(Nepeta cataria)

Catnip is a short-lived herbaceous perennial.  Native to Europe.  Downy, light green foliage with dense, white-green flowering racemes. 

Traditional usage (TWM): Sedative, aromatic, narcotic to cats. 

Flowers to 150cm high plant.  The plant prefers full sun and dryish, fast-draining soils.  If you ever want to get rid of catnip, overwater it, and it will go away. Or, bruise the leaves a little, and the neighbourhood cats will probably love it to death.   Meanwhile, most of us like it a lot and will lightly scarify the seeds and sow in spring.  Use a flat in the greenhouse or scatter on a prepared bed in the garden.  Slow, low, and spotty germination is normal with this seed that is naturally loaded with germination inhibiting compounds.  But that won’t slow it down permanently–the seed will eventually come up, either in a place where you planted it, or (almost magically) somewhere else, where worm, or crow, or sticky footed butterfly deposited it.  Space plants 60cm apart.