I went to a garden party....

[catlover4ever]

Yesterday I took my mom for a ride to get flowers for our gardens and I came across some nicely established catnip for sale so of course I just had to buy several to plant in my garden (I'm always looking for more catnip as my guys seem to devour it). When I came home the tags went on the kitties and outside to help mommy they went.

Mystic was the first to find the new plants....they did not even let me get them in the ground before they all started slobbering on the plants.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid117/pb29501c7603a7fc94aa35c3a819b45be/f8a40fb0.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid117/pfc0c0abc3b5aee0fd546ad61db2ca93d/f8a40fa9.jpg

Smokey wanted into the action....however Mystic is ready to give him a right hook for trying to get her "nip supply"
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid117/p4be9f05fdac3f2da2ea240d906f9ca97/f8a40f9e.jpg

Tigger approves as well.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid117/pf33c734b7dfe79acf50610f3aa0f52a6/f8a40a88.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid117/p02a847fc769db299ffb28d0c62eea168/f8a40a8e.jpg

Tigger says "That's really good stuff!!!!" ;) ;)
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid117/p56ed1eeaad390ca9aba71438afbf7e2a/f8a40a83.jpg

Abner says he will just take the ENTIRE plant!!!! Thank you very much!!!!
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid117/p22c9ab258eebcaca641633037952d31b/f8a40838.jpg

Well, maybe that was just too much!!!!! I think I will just take a sprig of it.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid117/p2806ff010982bef930cbd5c3380218bd/f8a40836.jpg

Now that the plants are in the garden all are welcome to come over for an even larger garden party.

[NoahsMommy]

Awww!!! They are all soooo cute!!

I've been wanting to get Livvy some catnip in a few pots for her to enjoy. Thanks for the reminder. :)

[Laura's Babies]

OH MAN! That is TO cute! What a idea!! I really enjoyed those pictures!!

[catcrazylady]

Everyone of mine want to come to your garden!! Fresh catnip! YIPPEEEEEE!!! What great pictures of you furbies outside in the nip garden. I have never grown it fresh but it looks like fun. Is it hard to grow?

I love the expressions on Mystic and Smokey's face in the picture where they are having a stand off! That is too cute!
Then there is Abner with the whole big plant to himself!! Tigger is very happy and cute as a button! These are great pictures and I couldn't pick a favorite one if I had to! I love all your babies!!http://petoftheday.com/talk/images/our_smilies/biggrin.gif

[Barbara]

Looks as if Mystic and Smokey have a little argument in the pub;) (On of the dangers of drug abuse).

Sound as if the party went a little too far but everyone had fun- the best parties are like that:) :D

[kimlovescats]

How cute! They really look excited that Meommy is being so thoughtful and planting them their very own garden! :D

[Ally Cat's Mommy]

Whet great pics!! They all look like they are having a blast!!! Does Catnip grow quickly, and can you grow it from seed?

[sirrahbed]

What fun pictures!!! I also grow catnip and YES, it is very easy though I have never started from seed but from small plants - it grows quickly and multiplies like mad - returns every year en masse. You can easily dehydrate it in the microwave to use over the winter also!
Thanks for the pictures! Fun Fun!!!

PS - the plant stores often sell "Cat Mint" - this looks similar but is NOT the same thing - so read the labels:D
Nepeta Cataria is the one for cats
Nepeta Grandflora and Nepata glechoma are related

[catlover4ever]

Deb, great minds think alike.....the photo of Abner is actually of him in my catMINT plant. As you can also see in the picture someone rolled in it and flattened it.

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

Originally posted by catcrazylady
Is it hard to grow?

Are you kidding, it grows like a weed!!! ;) :D

My mom has a plant and whenever she came down she would bring me some fresh catnip for T & P. One time, after a rain, she pulled up a piece of it - root and all - and brought it down. Well, it was probably two weeks later before I finally stuck it in the ground. I said "Well, if it grows it grows, if it doesn't oh well." and now I have to keep cutting it back or the seeds would fly everywhere and I'd have an entire backyard of nothing but catnip! The only think I do to it is water it when it starts wilting. I have it in a pot and that is where T & P immediately head when I let them outside. :D

I was wondering what the difference is between catnip and cat mint. The lady that does the landscaping for our complex said we should put some cat mint in our flower bed out front. Well, after seeing how huge :eek: :eek: it gets, I think I'll be taking a pass. We don't have near enough room for a plant that big. ;) :D

The kitties all look like they're sooo happy mom finally got the "real" thing for them. :D

[CatMama78]

Awww that looks like fun. Mystic and Smokey look like they are approaching airplane ears as they bat it out for the nip supply.

[sirrahbed]

Originally posted by Tubby & Peanut's Mom

I was wondering what the difference is between catnip and cat mint.
This gets confusing because catnip and catmint can be used interchangeably for the most part because what cats typically like is catnip which is also a catmint, but not all catmints are what cats like although some cats DO like them because some cats like ALL mints. Get it? But some catmints are just for ornamental use. The stuff you normally think of as the cat *drug* is Nepeta Cataria
but some cats don't even like that one! Clear as mud now?? Here is a thread I found just now - maybe it helps a little..

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/mwgard/msg0703414729082.html

I grow several varieties but they prefer the cataria that I refer to as "catnip" just to keep it simple:rolleyes: Supposedly, it has more of the "drug":D Kinda like the morphine of the opiods. Also why I call their round padded bed the "Opium Den":D :D as that is where I give them their nip.

[PayItForward]

CatLover4Ever,

How does the catnip fare in your garden ?

I ask as our inside catnip plant gets squashed enough from our cats.

I was thinking about planting some in the garden but I wondered if they would survive a en mass cat attack !!!

[catlover4ever]

PayItForward,

The catnip survives very well. Already when I came home yesterday hubby told me Mystic had been rolling in the new plants that afternoon. She had squashed them right down to the dirt line.....well this morning the plants are standing upright again. We also have several new kitties in the neighborhood that I have caught rolling in the garden and I must say both the catnip and catmint that I have does just fine.

[catmandu]

To Reminice With My Old Friends!That looks like Fun, as Smokey , and Mstyic are ready , to Get HIGH! And we miss you , Ricky Nelson!And the First Lines , of course , are From Garden Party!

[Lillycat]

that all cats could have such a lovely garden party!!!!