Daphne: Since Not The Mama has his hands full with Evil Spooker and Shrunken Isis, I thought that I would do my first doodle. I'm here to give you some gardening tips.
The two plants I like to grow in my garden are catnip and catmint.
On the left you can see catnip. This is the traditional 'nip. It likes full sun and moist soil, but will tolerate dry soil, and does best when pinched back to get bushy - mine's a little leggy, you see.... catnip leaves dry quickly in the sun, and the oils in them that drive ME WILD are condensed when dried. Pinch off flower buds from catnip, so it doesn't re-seed itself and take over your garden (like that would be a bad thing, I know...)
Catmint, on the other hand, is a lovely perennial. That means it comes back year after year. It thrives in regular garden soil. It has soft velvety leaves and lots and lots of blue blue blue flowers. Not The Mama loves this because of the true blue flowers in the garden. Bees love these flowers, too! And I LOVE the way that fresh catmint smells. Spooker will just nom nom nom up fresh catmint leaves! In the garden, this plant is pretty safe from cats - we are attracted to it mostly when the leaves are crushed. Shear off the flower-spikes once the plant has bloomed, to promote more flowers and also to keep seed production controlled - this plant doesn't spread as rampantly as other members of the mint flower, and it spreads more by seeds than by runners like most mints, but it will spread!
Catnip of course is easily found in garden centers, and seed packets - catmint is harder to find, but very easy to grow by seed. Parks is a good source for mail order seeds.
Hope you enjoyed my catnip and catmint gardening tips!
Meow for now,
Daphne
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Daphne, Those are some excellent gardening hints and a I like your doodles too. Definitely worth an ear scritch and cheek rub.
ReplyDeleteDaphne, Those are some excellent gardening hints and a I like your doodles too. Definitely worth an ear scritch and cheek rub.
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting those hints! Maybe my human will read them and be better at not killing my plants!!!
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the catnip/catmint explanation. I never knew the difference.
ReplyDeleteWe are growing catnip in a planter outside, something our neighborhood cat, Libby, visits occasionally. Our boys stay inside so they don't know about it.
ha ha
=^..^=
Wow! You are an excellent gardener!
ReplyDeleteHow fun. Have a purrfect day all. Big hug to Not The Mama. :)
ReplyDeleteDaphne, Daphne, how does your garden grow? With pretty flowers and catnip plants all in a row!
ReplyDeleteI never knew the difference between those two plants before.
Well, Daphne, that is an excellent doodle and I love the tips.
ReplyDeleteThanks to you, the Sherwood Bunch will get fresh catnip and catmint. I'm ordering seeds today.
ML
You really seem to have the green thumb! We will try out this catnip everyone is talking about in Germany, here I have never seen it... Cool doodle, btw :-)
ReplyDeleteGreat doodle! Appreciate the lesson on catnip and catmint...I know someone who'd be rather pleased with me if I started growing either or both in the garden.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Daphne, for the gardening tips. Our mom has catmint growing in her garden, too. Sometimes she will cut a piece or two from the plant and give it to us. What a treat!!! We love the way it smells!!! (Wally eats the plant...)
ReplyDeleteWally, Ernie & Zoey
Another cute doodle kitty in a doodle garden! I really wish I had put a kitty in mine. It really is a nice touch. :)
ReplyDelete- Elise (fellow doodler)
Very interesting. I never knew this!
ReplyDeleteOh, and HOW do you get comments to be on the same page, expanded with the post?! It is way cool...but being as I've got a customized template it may not be an option without the help of my blog pimper?!
What a perfect doodle garden! :)
ReplyDelete