Low-growing, flowering perennial from the mint family that produces many spikes of lavender flowers in the summer that are attractive to bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Soft, gray-green, aromatic foliage is attractive to cats. Nepeta species seed freely and may become invasive. Nepeta x faassenii is a sterile hybrid that is widely available and grows well in Northern California gardens. Available cultivars have flowers ranging from blue to purple.