Six Hills Giant Catmint

Six Hills Giant Catmint (Nepeta faassenii 'Six Hills Giant')

Six Hills Giant Catmint (Nepeta faassenii 'Six Hills Giant') is a vigorous, sun-loving perennial grown for its aromatic gray-green foliage and its long season of lavender-blue flowers that create a soft, flowing look in the landscape. It forms a larger, billowy mound than many compact catmints, making it ideal for filling space in borders and creating broad sweeps of color that tie plantings together. Bloom typically begins in late spring and can continue well into summer, especially when the plant is trimmed back after the first heavy flush to encourage fresh growth and repeat flowering. With its size, bloom power, and easy performance, Six Hills Giant Catmint makes an excellent focal point when you want a big ribbon of blue that reads from across the garden.

Distinctive Features

The standout feature is the volume of bloom, with long flower spikes held over a wide mound of foliage that creates a haze of lavender-blue color. Leaves are lightly fuzzy, aromatic, and gray-green, adding soft texture and a clean, silvery tone even when the plant is between bloom cycles. This variety is especially useful as a bridging plant, blending neighboring colors and textures while keeping borders looking cohesive. It is also a strong pollinator plant, drawing bees and other beneficial insects for weeks during the flowering season.

Growing Conditions

• Sun: Full sun is best; tolerates light shade but flowering is usually stronger with more sun.
• Soil: Well-drained soil; performs best in average to lean soils and does not like wet feet.
• Water: Moderate; water regularly during establishment, then water during extended dry spells.
• USDA Hardiness Zones: 4 to 8.
• Habit: Vigorous, mounding perennial with airy flower spikes.
• Mature Size: About 24 to 30 inches tall and 30 to 36 inches wide.

Ideal Uses

• Focal Point: Use as a large, flowing blue accent that anchors sunny borders and reads from a distance.
• Mass Planting: Plant in drifts for a broad sweep of soft texture and long-season color.
• Mixed Perennial Borders: Fills space and blends plantings among roses, salvias, coneflowers, and ornamental grasses.
• Pollinator Plantings: Supports bees and beneficial insects during a long flowering season.
• Hot, Sunny Beds: A dependable performer in sun where you want color with minimal fuss in well-drained soil.

Low Maintenance Care

• Watering: Keep evenly watered during the first growing season; after that, water only during prolonged drought.
• Shearing: Trim back after the first heavy bloom to refresh foliage and encourage repeat flowering.
• Soil Management: Avoid rich, constantly wet soils, which can reduce flowering and cause decline.
• Fertilizing: Usually not needed; a light spring feeding is enough in poor soils.
• Spacing: Provide enough room for the plant to mound naturally without crowding neighbors.
• Dividing: Divide every few years if clumps become woody or less vigorous.

Why Choose Six Hills Giant Catmint?

• Big, Billowy Habit: Creates a larger mound that fills borders and softens edges.
• Long Bloom Season: Lavender-blue flowers provide weeks of color with repeat bloom potential after shearing.
• Aromatic Foliage: Soft, gray-green leaves add fragrance and refined texture in mixed beds.
• Pollinator Support: Flowers attract bees and other beneficial insects through the season.
• Strong Focal Point Value: Delivers a broad ribbon of blue that anchors sunny plantings and ties designs together.

If you want a vigorous catmint that fills space and delivers a long season of lavender-blue blooms, Six Hills Giant Catmint adds focal point color, soft texture, and reliable performance in sunny, well-drained borders.