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Cat's
Whiskers Plant Excellent For Attracting
Bees,
Butterflies and Hummingbirds To Home Landscape
Auburn, May 17--- Cat's
Whiskers are excellent for the home landscape as bees, butterflies
and hummingbirds are attracted to the plant for its nectar.
 Cat's
Whiskers is a member of the mint family and is known botanically as
Orthosiphon stamineus.
Its origin is tropical East Asia, but it grows well in the South.
Its blossoms are
tropical and exotic, they may be white or bluish-purple, and when
the bloom opens, it has a long spike full of flowers and stamens,
similar to a cat's whiskers.
Full sun is recommended,
but the plant will grow with several hours of filtered light
combined with spotty direct sun.
This shrub-type plant
reaches about 2 feet in height and spreads 3 to 4 feet. It has a
series of blooms as the plant gets more stems and blooms on new
growth.
The plant needs regular
watering and monthly feedings with a complete and balanced
fertilizer. It also can grow from seed and is easy to propagate by
cuttings.
If you decide to grow
Cat's Whiskers, prepare the soil by incorporating 3 to 4 inches of
organic matter and by working it into the soil to a depth of 6 to 8
inches. While tilling or turning, mix in a pound of slow-release
12-6-6 fertilizer per 100 square feet of bed space.
Cat's Whiskers is good
for combination planting. Two or three clustered together with
ferns, cannas or elephant ears make a nice planting. Try growing
some at the bottom of an umbrella plant (Cyperus alternifolius).
One interesting fact
about the plant … Java Tea, which is used to help pass kidney
stones, is made from Cat's Whiskers.
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