Nepeta 'Blue Wonder'

Hybrid Catmint

Nepeta ‘Blue Wonder’
Blue Wonder Catmint

Nepeta ‘Blue Wonder’, often listed as Nepeta racemosa ‘Blue Wonder’ or Nepeta × faassenii ‘Blue Wonder’, is a compact herbaceous perennial grown for its aromatic gray-green to green foliage and long display of blue to lavender-blue flower spikes. It forms a low, mounded clump and blooms heavily from late spring into summer, often reblooming if sheared after the first flush. Its tidy size makes it especially useful along walkways, borders, rock gardens, mass plantings, and sunny perennial beds. Missouri Botanical Garden lists bloom time as May to September, with dark blue flowers, low maintenance, and tolerance of deer, drought, dry soil, shallow rocky soil, and urban conditions.

Type: Herbaceous perennial
Mature Size: 12–18 in. wide × 9–18 in. tall
USDA Zones: 3a–8b, sometimes listed to 9b depending on source and climate
Form: Compact, low, mounded clump
Light: Full sun to part shade; best flowering in full sun
Soil / Water: Average to dry, well-drained soil; low to moderate water once established
Bloom Time / Length: Late spring through summer; often May–September with trimming after bloom
Wildlife: Flowers attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds; deer and rabbits usually avoid the aromatic foliage. Darwin Perennials lists it as deer resistant, drought tolerant, heat tolerant, and attractive to hummingbirds.

Features & Landscape Uses:
Excellent compact catmint for edging, front-of-border planting, cottage gardens, pollinator gardens, rock gardens, slopes, containers, and massing as a flowering groundcover. It is smaller and tidier than many older catmints, with blue-purple flowers held above fragrant foliage. Chicago Botanic Garden notes that it grows about 1 ft. tall, blooms May through September, attracts butterflies, resists deer, and can be used as a border plant or groundcover.

Care:
Plant in well-drained soil and avoid overly wet winter conditions. Shear back after the first heavy bloom to encourage fresh foliage and rebloom. Cut stems back in late winter or early spring before new growth begins. It performs best with lean to average soil; too much fertilizer or rich soil can make the plant floppy.

Plant type

Perennial

Height

9-18"

Width

12-18"

Hardiness zones

3–8

Sunlight

Full Sun, Partial Shade

Growth rate

Fast

Bloom time

Early Fall, Late Spring, Summer

Flower color

Blue

Attracts

Butterflies

Soil

Average, Well Drained

Landscape use

Border, Container, Mass Planting

Shape

Clump, Low Mounding

Fruit

Yes

Fragrant

Yes

Salt tolerant

Yes

Drought tolerant

No