My yard is going to be on a garden tour this coming summer. The tour is in the middle of July and I'm concerned that my Walker's Low catmint is going to look horrible about that time. They hang over a low rock wall, so they're really visible. I planted it two summers ago, and last summer it looked great until about that July. Near the beginning of July, I cut one plant back to the ground and another I cut back by half. Both came back and looked alright, but I think I liked the half cut one better. Either way, they looked pretty bad in July. Before I cut them back they were really leggy and just generally bad looking after the flowers faded.
I'm wondering what would happen if I cut them back really early, like in May or early June. I'd be cutting them down just as they were starting to look really good, but would they come back and bloom by mid July?
If I cut back catmint early, will it bloom later?
Hmmmm.....usually my catmint (just the species) does start looking cruddy in mid summer, and like yours recovers beautifully. Now that I've moved to a new place, my catmint never stopped looking gorgeous this year. I didn't really do anything to encourage it; puzzling, but I'm not questioning it, lol. Come to think of it, I did divide mine this spring, so that along with sunnier exposure may explain their new found vigor. Anyhow, I think you could more selectively dead head or shear the elongating stems going to seed lightly, and it would encourage rebloom without making the plants unattractive. It would be a bit more time consuming, but sounds like you'll be spending extra time making everything just right anyway. Best of luck, and would love to see pics as spring progresses!
Neal
Thanks Neil. I might try dividing them this spring. I might also hack them back in the beginning of June. I think They'll look better in July even if they don't bloom.
I don't have it handy, but Tracy Sabato-Aust's Well-Tended Perennial Garden is big on cutting back perennials before they bloom. She also advocates cutting back part of plants -- say, the front half -- early in the season to encourage successive bloom periods. If you can get your hands on a copy, you might see what she says about catmint. (My copy is somewhere in this house, but I can't look any more right now.)
jugglerguy,
I constantly pinch off the faded blooms on mine until it reaches that sprawling, starting to flop and part look....then I cut by 1/3 to promote another flush. It takes about 5-6 weeks after cutting back to reach that filled out and blooming again look. Make sure to keep it water consistently during the growing back time.
Here is how mine looks when I think it is about ready for a haircut and needs a good shaping up.
Forgive the weeds that need to be pulled...they sort of got ahead of me and my gardening time.
Nana3
This message was edited Jan 22, 2008 6:50 AM
You can cut back by 1/2 around the first part of June, when the flowers are in the tight bud stage. Water well, and after about a week give it a good dosing of Miracle Gro or other liquid fertilizer. That will keep the plant looking better and delay the flowering for about 3-4 weeks.
Great luck with the garden tour!
Unless I missed it, are you saying that you don't cut the plants back all the way in early spring before they start their new growth?
Clementine,
We were talking about cutting it back after it did it's first flush of flowers to try and get it to flush again in a few weeks. I leave my foliage on to protect the plants roots and then cut it back hard in the spring when I clean up my beds. Sorry if we confused you.
Nana3
Thank you Nana3 for clarifying this for me. There is so much I don't know, but fortunately there is DG with all its wonderful members to help me out.
Nana2,
I understand what you are saying about cutting back to get a second flush of flowers, but should it be cut back at the beginning of spring? This is my first year growing catmint.
Pennefeather,
I cut mine back after the first flush of blooms to get a second flush of blooms that occurs in about 5 weeks. I then leave my foliage standing in the garden so that the foliage helps to protect the roots. I cut it back in the Spring almost to the ground...I don't scalp the ground, but leave enough to easily spot it's location in the bed. The new growth emerges from the roots in the spring. I like to cut it back hard in the spring to try and manage it's size. I am going to have to divide mine this spring as it has spread out of the bounds I want it growing in.
I'm sure others will come on and tell you how they do their Catmint in the spring.
Nana3
I cut mine way back in spring too, after I see the new growth budding in the center. It gets kinda weedy looking if I don't, and seems less vigorous.
Thanks guys
I just checked this thread again. I thought it had been long forgotten. Thanks for all the advice. I'm definitely going to cut it back in early June. Clementine, I've always cut back my perennials either in the fall or in the spring to get rid of the dead stuff before they start growing again in spring.
Juggler, yes I know I should cut perennials back in spring at the latest, but I am very timid about it and always have to ask specific question, when do you do this, when do you do that, etc. But I am learning.
Thanks to everyone,
C.
Juggler,
I have been trying to think of a name of a book that proposes that you cut ALL* perennials back before they bloom to have bushier, stockier plants that don't flop over. The author concedes that it delays flowering (which is what you said you wanted) and also this will decreases the size of individual flowers, but increase the quantity due to branching (like Phlox). I do not think it would adversely affect your catmint in terms of size of flower, though.
The Well-Tended Perennial Garden: Planting and Pruning Techniques
by Tracy DiSabato-Aust
You can find this at your public library, or I am sure they will order it in for you.
*When I say, all,, that isn't quite right. She wants you to cut back, Phlox, Monarda, and yes, catmint, but not ones that have strap-like foliage such as Red Hot Poker or Daylilies, nor ones where you'd cut off the flowers like lilies (Genus Lilium).
Suzy
This message was edited Feb 20, 2008 3:30 AM
OK, I dug through the dry branchlets of my catmint and sure enough, there is new green at the bottom. So I cut it down to the new green and am hoping for the best.
Clemmie, That's a normal cut back -- Jugglerguy was talking about shearing the whole plant back in the middle of May. Considerably scarier!
Suzy, thanks for the heads up, I really like that plant (Walker's Low) last year, may even get more.