Summer Magic Catmint

Summer Magic Catmint (Nepeta grandiflora 'Summer Magic')

Summer Magic Catmint (Nepeta grandiflora 'Summer Magic') is a sun-loving perennial grown for its tidy, clump-forming habit and its long season of rich violet-blue flowers that bring strong color to mixed borders. It offers a more upright, garden-structured look than many mounding catmints, making it a great choice when you want catmint bloom and pollinator value without a plant that sprawls into neighboring perennials. Bloom typically begins in early summer and can continue for weeks, and a cutback after the first flush often encourages fresh growth and repeat flowering. With its saturated flower color and clean habit, Summer Magic Catmint makes an excellent focal point in sunny beds where you want a strong blue accent and a plant that stays neat.

Distinctive Features

The standout feature is the combination of upright structure and intense bloom color, giving borders a more defined look while still delivering the soft flower effect catmint is known for. The foliage is aromatic and softly textured, adding a calm gray-green layer even outside peak bloom. Summer Magic is also a dependable pollinator plant, drawing bees and other beneficial insects during its flowering season. Because it holds its shape well, it works nicely in more formal perennial borders, in repeated groupings, or as a mid-border color accent among grasses and flowering perennials.

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: Upright, clump-forming perennial with dense flower spikes.
• Mature Size: About 16 to 20 inches tall and 18 to 24 inches wide.

Ideal Uses

• Focal Point: Use as a blue mid-border accent where upright flower spikes can stand out above mounding plants.
• Mixed Perennial Borders: Adds structure and saturated color among coneflowers, coreopsis, and ornamental grasses.
• Pollinator Plantings: Supports bees and beneficial insects during its bloom season.
• Sunny Foundation Beds: Provides long-blooming color in a tidy, controlled form.
• Repeating Color Theme: Plant in groups to create a strong blue rhythm through sunny beds.

Low Maintenance Care

• Watering: Water consistently the first growing season; after that, water only during prolonged drought.
• Deadheading: Remove spent flower spikes to extend bloom and keep the plant looking clean.
• Cutback: Shear back after the first heavy bloom to encourage fresh growth and possible rebloom.
• 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 airflow to help foliage stay clean in humid weather.

Why Choose Summer Magic Catmint?

• Rich Blue Flowers: Violet-blue blooms deliver strong color impact through early and mid summer.
• Tidy Clump Habit: More upright structure than many catmints, helping borders stay neat and defined.
• Aromatic Foliage: Soft, fragrant leaves add texture and a clean, refined look.
• Pollinator Support: Flowers attract bees and other beneficial insects through the season.
• Strong Focal Point Value: Combines saturated blue color with a controlled habit that holds its place in mixed beds.

If you want a catmint with rich violet-blue blooms and a tidy, clump-forming habit, Summer Magic Catmint adds focal point color and reliable structure to sunny, well-drained borders.