I've grown numerous nepetas in gardens with cats and not had such horrific results...
We're the proud owners of two cats, adopted from the local rescue centre. One, aged four, has been living with us for a year and a half. The other only joined us a few months ago, and is very old. We thought we were recruiting an elderly gentleman and the rescue centre called him a 'lap cat'.
So what has all this to do with gardening? Perhaps not a lot until the other weekend. This elderly 'lap cat' has suddenly developed a new lease of life, indulging in late night activities, athletics and now plant mashing.
The kids and I had spent a pleasant few hours wandering around the Petersfield Local Food Festival, which sells all sorts of local food and drink, but also a wonderful array of plants. As usual, I succumbed to temptation, buying a gorgeous peony, a penstemon, a tiarella and a catmint, Nepeta racemosa 'Walker's Low'. Sadly, the plant label is virtually all I have left of my once stunning purple-flowered plant. It met its doom on the front steps, still in its nursery bag, within an hour of arriving home, courtesy of our aged 'lap cat'.
Never before have I seen anything quite like it, and I've lived with cats almost all my life. Like a furred whirling dervish, he crushed it, shredded it and scattered it all over the place. I've grown numerous nepetas in gardens with cats and not had such horrific results. Is this down to this particular variety or this particular cat?
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