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How should I make more nepeta?

wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
in Plants
Last year I bought a couple of pots of nepeta 'Six Hills Giant' as my basic cat mint has been very popular with the pollinators and this seems to be recommended as a better plant. After the bad winter weather though all my nepeta plants are dead except one SHG that was under a tunnel cloche. It's growing with good vigour now and I'd like to divide it or take cuttings to make more plants. It sounds like it grows as easily as most of the mints but I don't know whether to:
Take stem cuttings which will take some time to root and might only be decent plants by next year.
Take rooted cuttings from around the plant.
Or lift and divide the whole thing into 3 or 4 bits.
Or leave the one plant as it is and assume I'll get more flowers this year if I don't muck about with it. I can always take stem cuttings after it finishes flowering anyway.

If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.

Posts

  • lilysillylilysilly Posts: 511
    I would advise that you divide your nepeta plant into good sized clumps, two or three only. I divide my nepeta Walkers Low this way. Rooted cuttings from around the plant take forever to make flowering size plants in my experience, and stem cuttings with a heel take a long time too and both need over winter protection I find. Better to divide and plant straight away l have found.
  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039
    Get a Mummy Nepeta and a Daddy Nepeta..........
    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • Cambridgerose12Cambridgerose12 Posts: 1,134
    punkdoc said:
    Get a Mummy Nepeta and a Daddy Nepeta..........
    I was going to suggest plasticine, myself (sorry @wild edges—it must be too much Easter chocolate)...
  • OmoriOmori Posts: 1,674
    I took stem cuttings of SHG last Autumn and will be planting them out soon. They take easily. 
  • BenCottoBenCotto Posts: 4,718
    I have dug mine up, chopped it into fat pieces and replanted at once and it didn’t even blink. Doing this in early summer, I took the precaution of cutting growth back to a couple of inches and thoroughly soaked the new plantings.
    Rutland, England
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    punkdoc said:
    Get a Mummy Nepeta and a Daddy Nepeta.........
    The cultivar wouldn't come true from seed though  o:)
    It's sounding like I might have to leave it for now and take cuttings when it gets the Cancelled Chelsea Chop. Or I stump up and buy some replacements...
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • didywdidyw Posts: 3,573
    @wild edges - cancelled Chelsea chop  :D
    Gardening in East Suffolk on dry sandy soil.
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    Well by some miracle two of my nepetas have started to show signs of regrowth. They're way behind the others but they seem keener to survive than I thought. Fingers crossed for them.
    I also took a few cuttings from the survivor SHG and put them in water and within a week several had good roots. I've transferred them to soil now and they seem to be taking well.
    and I bought a new plant anyway because I'm impatient and it never hurts to have a backup plan o:)
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
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