Nepeta grandiflora Dawn to Dusk - Catnip

Nepeta grandiflora 'Dawn to Dusk' is a beautiful variety of giant Catnip that is characterized by large pale pink flowers enclosed in purple calyxes. This perennial forms a dense, upright and branched bush with fragrant leaves, which transforms into a bunch of tender pastel flowers throughout the summer. It is hardy, generous, charming and a good plant for bees. It can be used in the same way as lavender, as a border plant, in flower beds, and in large containers. It grows well in well-drained, not too dry soil, in sunny locations.

Nepetas belong to the lamiaceae or labiates family. 'Dawn to Dusk' is a pink selection of N. grandiflora, a botanical species native to the Caucasus. 'Dawn to Dusk' is a very fast-growing perennial that forms a large clump of leafy and flowering stems within 2 years, reaching 80 cm (32in) high and 50-60 cm (20-24in) wide at the base. From June to September, flowers are grouped in whorls or small bouquets towards the upper part of the flower stems. They are pale pink, enclosed in a purplish calyx, and measure about 3 cm (1in) long. They are pleasantly fragrant and very attractive to bees and butterflies. The foliage is lush and slightly greyish-green resembling sage, very aromatic when crushed. They are ovate, crinkled, slightly hairy, and 5 to 10 cm (2 to 4in) long. In winter, the stems dry up and die with only a few basal leaves remaining at ground level.

Nepeta grandiflora 'Dawn to Dusk' is like a pink version of the 'Six Hill Giant', but less tolerant of dry summers. Plant it in a sunny flower bed alongside gauras, blue or pink agastaches, Sedum spectabile 'Septemberglut', lavateres, and other shrubby salvias or combine it with English roses or repeat-flowering roses, a winning combination!