Velvet

Nepeta 'Velvet' – a perennial plant with bright pink flowers and greyish-green foliage, reaching heights from 25 to 80 cm depending on the variety. The leaves have a mint-lemon aroma with a light geranium aftertaste, while the bush itself emits a spicy-sweetish scent reminiscent of a mixture of mint and lemon.

The plant is highly resistant to heat and shade, but grows best in full sun with regular watering. Removing withered flower spikes stimulates abundant flowering, and moist soil enhances its frost hardiness. Nepeta is often used in cooking: leaves, flower spikes, and stems are dried under a canopy, preserving their aroma and flavor, and then used to flavor tea, salads, and sauces.

The benefits of consuming nepeta include strengthening the cardiovascular, nervous, and respiratory systems, as well as increasing appetite. In folk medicine, its decoction is used for headaches, anemia, cough, liver and intestinal diseases, and as an anthelmintic agent. Thanks to its compact growth and vibrant flowering, nepeta 'Velvet' is perfect for decorative landscaping of garden beds and compositions.