I live in Kitchener, ON, Canada - zone 5.
I have clay soil, that has been amended somewhat.
About 3 years ago I planted Cal...Read Moreamint 'Blue Cloud' in a sunny location with late afternoon shade.
It definitely needs a bit of space, but at this point does not seem in any way invasive, nor did it self seed.
I have now transplanted it to another spot in my garden, which will give it a bit more room to grow with no other plants around it.
I cut the calamint back in the late winter/early spring of this year. The plant is now about 3'X3', but the roots themselves only take up about 18"X18". I'm pretty sure I could have trimmed it again in July, but I knew I would be transplanting it, and I didn't want to over-stress the plant.
I think it's a nice plant with an airy, billowy look.
It would look really nice with pink roses or peonies.
It flowers all summer long.
It attracts more pollinators and a greater variety of pollinators than my catmint.
I am reluctant to divide it, because I haven't seen it being sold anywhere anymore - and I would hate to lose it.
At the same time I wonder if there is some reason (that I don't know about) that garden centres aren't selling it and that makes me a bit nervous.
At this point in time I think it's a great plant :)
I live in zone 7 in Md on Eastern shore and Calamintha nepeta grows like a groundcover in my yard. It is successful in full shade and su...Read Moren. It blooms all summer. It stays around 6-10 inches until it send up spikes with blooms which are no more than 10-12 inches high for me so I consider it a groundcover. It is very fragrant with a pleasant minty, cap nip type of smell. It spreads readily being hardy and probably spreads by tiny seeds also. I do not consider it a nuisance because if they pop up where you don't want them it is very easy to just pull them out, pot them up and share with friends.
Clouds of tiny blooms nonstop all summer. The flowers are a very pale skim-milk blue approaching white, though there are also pure white-...Read Moreflowered cultivars. The flowers are very attractive to beneficial pollinators though some are wasps.
It gives off a delightful minty fragrance when brushed against.
Attractive, adaptable, drought tolerant. Does best in full sun with well-drained soil, but I've also seen it bloom well in part shade.
This does not spread vegetatively, but I've found it to self-sow a little too freely in the garden. It isn't invasive of wild areas in N. America.
Does not do well in the hot summers south of Z7 in eastern N. America. Armitage says it's hardy to Z4.
About 3 years ago, I planted one of these in a garden otherwise filled with ornamental sages, lavenders, germander, achillea, catmint, ag...Read Moreastache, and the like. We have clay soil amended annually with a bit of humus from the garden store. This minty plant thrives with lots of sun, little to no water, and DC-area heat and humidity. It is very attractive, complements the other plans perfectly, grows well without overgrowing, and smells nice and minty. I'll be planting some more for next season.
Albuquerque, NM (Zone 7a) | February 2007 | neutral
I like the look of this plant (especially in bloom)--and its fragrance--and its appeal to bees and butterflies. (It's also nice--used sp...Read Morearingly--as a tea herb, in a mixture of other herbs.) But you should take the word INVASIVE very seriously here....
White Lake, ON (Zone 4b) | December 2006 | positive
If you're looking for a Boxwood hedge substitute for the north, Calamintha nepeta might fit the bill! Ok, it's not evergreen, but it's s...Read Moreuch a nice, aromatic, compact plant and if planted fairly closely it will form a good looking hedge effect. The flowers are a bonus.
The only caution I would give is if you are planting it next to a walkway, be aware that it attracts bees like crazy when in flower. I have a planting of 7, forming a hedge along an informal walkway but the bees seem so busy and happy at their task that they don't notice passersby at all.
Although related to to mints, Calamintha nepeta is clump-forming and does not run at all and has been extremely well behaved in my garden for 8 years now. Apparently, they do well in the northwest, northeast and upper midwest, but struggle in the south.
They have a woody base and I cut mine back hard in the fall to keep it's nice shape. Then neat little rounded mounds emerge in the spring. If I had a formal herb garden, or knot garden I think this plant would be perfect as an edging.
This plant has beautiful clouds of flowers in August and September. The tiny flowers have subtle purple speckles, but look solid white fr...Read Moreom a distance. It is fairly drought tolerant, and has done well in the hottest area of my yard (full sun, flanked on two sides by pavement). I should mention that the flowers are very popular with enormous wasps and hornets.
This is my first year growing Lesser Calamint. I started the plants from seed indoors in the spring. The young plants are quite sturdy, b...Read Moreranching from the base. The leaves are a gray green, slightly hairy, and have a bold sawtoothed edge on the mature leaves. These plants have a distinct pennyroyal-like aroma when one brushes the leaves. The flavor of the leaves is similar to spearmint.
The flowers began to appear in late August. They are very small, lavender, snapdragon-like blooms with tiny violet speckles in their throats. As a first year plant, it is altogether pleasing, but perhaps a marginal perennial in our climate, so it's survival in my garden remains to be be seen.
I live in Kitchener, ON, Canada - zone 5.
I have clay soil, that has been amended somewhat.
About 3 years ago I planted Cal...Read More
I live in zone 7 in Md on Eastern shore and Calamintha nepeta grows like a groundcover in my yard. It is successful in full shade and su...Read More
Clouds of tiny blooms nonstop all summer. The flowers are a very pale skim-milk blue approaching white, though there are also pure white-...Read More
About 3 years ago, I planted one of these in a garden otherwise filled with ornamental sages, lavenders, germander, achillea, catmint, ag...Read More
I like the look of this plant (especially in bloom)--and its fragrance--and its appeal to bees and butterflies. (It's also nice--used sp...Read More
If you're looking for a Boxwood hedge substitute for the north, Calamintha nepeta might fit the bill! Ok, it's not evergreen, but it's s...Read More
This plant has beautiful clouds of flowers in August and September. The tiny flowers have subtle purple speckles, but look solid white fr...Read More
This is my first year growing Lesser Calamint. I started the plants from seed indoors in the spring. The young plants are quite sturdy, b...Read More