by Zannah Crowe

Most of us, if pressed, could name a "Favorite" perennial. My personal pick (if pressed!) would be Nepeta 'Souvenir d'Andre Chaudron'.

Reasons:

Remarkable length of bloom.
Versatile color & form that partners well with a wide range of other perennials.
Hummingbirds LOVE it! (In my garden this plant is visited almost daily by hummingbirds)
Aromatic foliage that is unattractive to deer & rabbits.
Drought tolerance.

The first year I grew this plant I was astounded when the lovely blue flowers continued from June through hard frost. I was sure that, as is the case with many exceptionally long blooming perennials, it would not be back the next year. I was pleasantly surprised by its vigorous return the next year for a repeat performance. Twelve years later I still love this plant. Its blue blossoms usually begin to appear in June and continue in profusion through late summer (it's a great companion plant for daylilies). In mid to late August the blooming begins to diminish and the plant has tendency to flop and look less-than-lovely. At this point the entire plant can be cut down to 6"-12" and within a couple of weeks a fresh new crop of green leaves will be topped by another round of  blue flowers which will continue through frost.

Nepeta is a member of the Mint family (Lamiaceae) and displays the vigor typical of this group. 'Souvenir d'Andre' is not, however, overly aggressive but rather increases modestly to form a specimen plant of approximately 36" x 36". Give it room and sit back and enjoy.