Try the Carolina Garden Exchange Forum for your request. And, it would be helpful if you had the botanical name - I'd be glad to exchange it if I had it, and if I had a clue to what Cat's Whiskers is - an annual, perennial, shrub, tree, groundcover, or what? The only thing Google came up with is a bass fishing lure. Intriguing...

Annie - I have one that it just about to burst into bloom. We've been hot and dry so its only bloomed once this summer. I was gonna chop it up into a million cuttings. It looks like a plant that would be easy to grow from cuttings - but I've never tried it before. Not sure how well it makes seed but I'll try that also. Mine is the pale lavendar one not the solid white one. Anyway - I will be driving back to OKC for Thanksgiving if you want me to drag a rooted cutting back I can. I'm already bringing a truck load of blueberries and figs back for my Dad.

here's a blurb from "southern living" on Orthosiphon Stamineus aka Cat's Whiskers. i discovered them this summer and saved this article so i wouldn't forget to order seeds this winter.

"This frisky member of the mint family has been moving into Southern gardens for the last few years, spreading from Florida and Louisiana until it can be found in most nurseries and garden centers. A perennial sub-shrub in its native South Pacific, it is a quick-- growing annual in all but the Tropical South. The flowers, either white or lavender, keep their color in full sun or half shade and are produced throughout the growing season.
Whether you grow it in the ground or plant it in a pot, cat's whiskers (Orthosiphon stamineus) is an easy keeper. Like other mints, it enjoys moist, fertile soil and appreciates regular feeding and watering, but it will grow just fine in most ordinary garden conditions. Plant it in a 12-- inch or larger container, and you can even move it inside and use it as a houseplant by a sunny window. If frost kills the top before you remember to move it indoors for the winter, just store the potted plant in a cool, dark garage until spring, and then set it back out in the garden.
Cat's whiskers has square, purple-- green stems that are thickly covered below the flowers with dark green, lance-shaped leaves. The plentiful bloom spikes open from the bottom up in a tidy and efficient fashion. Old flowers drop away cleanly below fresh blossoms, and neat little buds crown the top of each spike. As a result, this plant always looks groomed, even if you don't have the time to deadhead the spent flower stalks.
For gardeners who appreciate the whimsical, it's almost irresistible to group cat's whiskers with feline companions such as tiger lily (Lilium lancifolium) or lion's ear (Leonotis leonurus). Just be kind, and keep it away from the dogwoods."

this photo isn't the greatest, but it'll give you an idea.
i'm still building beds and more focused on shrubs & perennials so i tend to pass a lot of annuals by - but this one will definitely find a place in my gardens next year.

marsha

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:586082}}

Good news, Marsha, about this plant. I never would think of bringing a member of the notorious mint family indoors for the winter. But, having seen this charming and unusual plant, it may just be worth it.

Annie, that unmentionable place in Sanford has them. I could try to mail you a plant, but it might be better to wait til spring.

peace, claire

What unmentionable place, Claire?
If you wrap it in 2 damp paper towels & insert it into a small Zip-Loc bag, and then put that into a bubble mailer or box, it mails just fine. I have mailed all kinds of plants and trees like that, even a grape vine.

I wonder if Lowe's has them....

One of my friends from South Carolina told me years ago that her grandmother grew Cat Whiskers. She thought since I had cats and a greenthumb, I ought to grow some of them. I looked for them but could not find them. I decided back then that it must have been just a family or local name for some kind of a Cleome, based on her description of the flowers.
Recently, though, I began to read and hear references to Cat's Whiskers. Then I saw them on a gardening show. I will have to buy the Southern Living mag. Which issue is it in, Marsha? - September, mayhaps?

John, I may take you up on that rooted cutting if I cannot find one. The Lilac color would be just wonderful to have. I am sure that since it is a mint, it would root in water really well.
Blueberries and figs, you say????? Wow! Your lucky father.

When I lived in Louisiana, I was given a recipe for Fig Preserves Cake. It was so rich it was almost sickening, but my, oh, my, it was good. Part of the fig preserves went into the cake and part was made into an icing that you drizzled over it. You left the preserves in small chuncks. I baked it in a fluted bundt pan. It looked like a jewel!
I had a little Brown Turkey Fig tree in my back yard so I made fig preserves in the summer to make up fig cakes as gifts for Christmas. It was my little boy's favorite Christmas cake.

Thanks for all your replies and help, guys.
Hope everyone in NC has been okay this past many days.
~ Annie

Annie, I'll be making a visit to the Sanford nursery this week. I'll let you know what kind of plants they have, the price and the cost of mailing. I have a long thin priority box that I just got from a rose nursery this week.

Maybe you want to try John's root cutting instead.

Look for my email for a sort of answer to your other question. The first B is a synonym for large and the second B is a word for old timey women's underwear. I hope I didn't offend anyone by saying that.

I have a Brown Turkey Fig tree. How many figs did you get from yours in order to make preserves? Mine is only about 3 years old, about 4 - 5 feet. I'm very proud of it though b/c I've never had a fruit tree I grew myself.

peace, claire in sanford

If you have figs, you would be well-served to make fig wine. Mmmmmmmmmm.

My mom has a fig tree and makes fig preserves every year so she can make fig cakes for Christmas. Every year I get a fig cake from her during the holidays. So wonderful! When I started reading this thread I wanted some Cats Whiskers - which I had never heard of before. Now I want a fig tree too - or better yet, a fig cake from my mom.
I couldn't find a source for it on the web, but a couple of people at Davesgarden mentioned getting it at Home Depot. Will have to keep my eyes open for it next year

John,
I much prefer the white blossoming type of Cat's Whiskers. They will root in about 4-5 days in a glass of water any time of the year. As I do with so many 'keepers' I leave the rooted cuttings in water with the roots tangled for the winter months, changing the water weekly, then pot up the end of Feb. snipping off the tops and also rooting those in water. It takes a few months for the cuttings to reach the blossoming stage, so as soon as possible move the potted cuttings into a cold frame or bright sunny window. Heavy feeders, morning sun/afternoon shade or high dappled shade. The nursery people do not like to grow Cat's Whiskers because it is slow to come into bloom but when it does it really attracts attention. I would doubt that seed planted next spring will bloom in '06. Better to work with cuttings.

Claire,

I would gladly pay price of plants & postage for a white and lilac flowering Cat's Whiskers from your friend's establishment or that you purchased from them and mailed to me.

My little rustic Greenhouse:
I have a make-shift greenhouse that I keep all my 'tenders' in all winter. It was the old metal lawnmower tractor/ wood-leaf shredder tractor/ tiller / Chain saw / weedeater/ garden tools / & general catch-all shed before. After much insistence for five years on my part that it could easily be converted into a greenhouse, DH finally conceded and replaced the southern wall with two huge double-paned shatter-proof picture windows that I got for free from a siding window replacement company. DH got so enthusiastic about it the project, that to my amazement and the entire family's as well, he even insulated the ceiling and walls with insulated foamboard. (I took photos of him working on it to preserve the moment for posterity - teehee).

I heat it all winter with a little electric heater that has a fan and simple thermostat. It keeps the shed at a perfect temp all winter for my large tropicals and tender perennials.

I put a tub of water plants in there to winter over too. The Koi like the "winter vacation" and there are usually frogs that come in with the plants to winter in there too. They keep the bug population down for me. I use the fish water for the plants and just replenish it once a week or so. I have well water so don't have to treat the water before adding it to the fish water. The tub also holds heat from the sun. (we have a lot of sunny days all winter here in Okie).

We have not finished the change-over yet, but works for me now in the meantime. Needs west and east windows and I want to move doorway around to the East side of the shed and install sliding glass doors instead of those old double wooden doors - all these doors and windows were given to me as freebies, and even delivered to my home way out here in the boondocks by two young men who worked for the siding window company. I have a stock pile of windows in one of the carport stalls. Some are for my make-shift cold frames. I use bales of hay and/or large bags of leaves for the sides and lay glass windows on top. Works great! I have set these up around garden veggies to extend my harvests. One years I was able to harvest green beans all the way through December, even picked enough for Christmas Dinner one year and I have a big family!

Well....now...that was a short story made l-o-n-g...ramble, ramble...I do have a place to keep them this winter.

Cat's Whiskers:
If it grows like mint, then wouldn't it keep growing all winter making roots and babies? Or how does it reproduce? Seeds? Roots?

Anyway, either from you, your friend's store, or through John-Boy, would be dandy with me.

And then again, I don't want to put anyone out for two little plants. Seems like an awful lot of trouble to go to for just a couple of little plants called Cat's Whiskers, doesn't it? (shrug)

Annie

Marsha, thanks again for the article in Southern living.

John, thanks for the offer for the cutting.

Nandina, thanks for the info about rooting Cat's Whiskers. That is awesome! I would like to have white and lilac ones.

Brenda, thanks for the Fig Wine suggestion? Got a recipe you can share?

Claire and SugarHill, et all - The fig preserves recipe you can get from the Sure-Jell package insert recipes. Easy to make. Wonderful on homemade yeast breads and "Light'nin Buns", too. I will gladly share my Louisiana Fig Preserves Cake recipe with anybody on here who wants it.

SugarHill, how cool that your mother had the tradition of making fig cakes for Christmas too. You need to keep that family tradition going.

Peace and Love to all,
~ Annie

P.S. - I need to get a fig tree myself! But, maybe I better wait and see if we actually do get to move down to the Carolinas (Ha!Ha!).

hey annie
that article was from may 2003, and i posted it in its entirety. just a little teaser piece - didn't go into the nitty-gritty we garden webers crave. thanks, nandina, for the additional nit & grit!

also annie, i LOVE your cold frame idea w/the straw bales & glass. seems like a perfectly insulated set up, and so easy! i'm so glad you "rambled" :)

pssst hey claire! u going to the raleigh swap? i'd cheerfully pay for the cost of a cat's whiskers PLUS gas!

marsha

I hate to put an end to this cat whisker's party but that BB place has long ago sold out of the cat whisker's. They were quite popular because of their bushlike growth and whimsical flowers. And.....to give insult to injury the large plantings of them in their show beds have been pulled out just this past week and thrown to the compost pile. UUGHHHHH. I could have pulled out nice big bushes If I would have known. However, I do have some growing in my yard that I managed to get before any injury was done to them. They had been recently cut back and have not flowered as yet so I am not sure if I have the purple or the white but I do have a couple of them.

They certainly are worth all the meowing though. Last I saw of them they were bravely blooming in the show beds even through all this hot steamy weather.

I will be back there on Wednesday and there is a slight possibility that they are still alive in the compost pile. I have seen it happen before. If so I would be happy to pull them out and pot them up. Adele

Adele, thanks for bringing us back to reality. I should have realized that BB wouldn't be purveying annuals in September, but there are a few exceptions like the Red Fountain grass (now watch someone write that it's a tender perennial).

If you aren't able to rescue any whiskers from the scrap heap, we'll all know where to get them in the spring. Sorry, guys.

I do have some in my gardens that I can take cuttings from, we have a while before first frost. So TJ or I could provide. I have the next two days off so I will look at mine and take some cuttings.

Claire, do you mean the purple fountain grass? If so we have also cut them all back and they are in the greenhouses waiting for another day to shine. They are annual for us and don't reseed. Adele

ouch. coming down from yet another flight of fancy :)
adele, how do you resist bringing home anything targeted for the compost bin? you've stronger will than i!
my fingers are crossed for compost survivors.

you know, it's still so hot, so summerish - i forget it's mid-september. the seasons march on.

claire, thanks for the almost-favor :)

marsha

Marsha, I think there is a running joke at work about the compost bin and the side of my car. Which is where things have ended up since I started working there. I also keep my eye on the compost bin and have rescued lots of cat mint which grows really well for me and really anything else that is viable. I am really starting to burn out though, literally with this heat. Now I look at the poor suckers waiting for the compost bin as just another potential thing that I will have to water....and THEN they go to the side of my car. ugh....
Adele

I Just LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!
You are my kind of people! Compost diving for flowers! Well, ALRIGHT!!
No one here in Okie is that real. The guy at the local feedstore told me "We don't like it when people come here from California and try to change things." I asked him if he was referring to Moi. He just stared at me.
I guess my being such a freak about gardening and landscaping my yard is somehow threatening to them or something. They would certainly think I was a weirdo for doing stuff like "compost diving" around here. But I always keep my eyes peeled for discarded plants at Lowe's and WalMart. I pick up little snippets and remove broken branches, and am prone to pinch off dried seedheads when I get a chance.
They have police patroling the WalMart trash area and won't let you get their disgards here in Okie, the bums. You can get arrested or fined or both for doing that. Good grief!
Well, maybe I am just a "flower junky", but now I know I am not the only one in the world! Yihaa!
I wish I lived down there, but I am at least content that you guys have crossed my path!
What a blessing you all are to me. Keep on keeping on. You keep my in stitches!
Thanks.
~Annie

You're welcome, Marsha and Annie! We tried anyway, maybe Adele and John can fix you up.

Yes, A., I got into the habit of saying "red" FG b/c the first time I bought that plant was at Walmart and that's what they called it on the tag. I just used it as an example of an annual that your nursery keeps over the winter, unlike our much sought after Cat Whiskers. I also didn't realize that the snippet you showed me was from the display gardens, not a for-sale plant.

Yes Claire, I thought you did and I also guessed you were thinking of taking cuttings from our display gardens ha. It really is a shame since most everything was still going strong when they got pulled out. But such is the way of display gardens and they are now all planted with violas and such. Adele

Funny, Adele, I never noticed the cat whiskers. Were they over by the perennials greenhouses where mostly herbs are growing? Last time I asked about something they didn't have, the mgr. GAVE me a plant from those gardens...it was a certain bright pink candleabra celosia. They are just so generous and nice. That's why it's so ironic that mum is the word about them on GW.

PS Annie, I heard that a Walmart garden dept mgr. in our area was fired for taking stuff from the dumpster. I can't believe she would steal and try to get away with it b/c their security in those stores is very tight. Someone told me that the money is counted in a room with 6 cameras. I guess we can't expect 'Wallie World.
as Marsha calls it, to be all downhome and friendly. It's just an image they like to portray on TV ads , all smoke and mirrors. Personally I think Target is worse with their "guest" lingo. I once tried to return a bathing suit whose colors ran into each other and they faulted me for getting it wet!

Claire, they were mixed into a couple of different beds on the side in front of where the herb garden is. You might not have noticed since they really fill those beds tight with plantings. Like I said though I do have a couple of them and if you want cuttings to try this winter you can have all you want. I got some of that celosia too. I want it to reseed all over the place. If asked they will let people take cuttings of whatever they have growing in their beds and also give away seedlings. I have personally pulled up and given away many many cardinal vine seedlings. They did not plant any this year...they are crazy self sowers. Adele

Thanks, Adele! I saw another crazy, hot pink, curly-Q celosia down there today, but it was so hot I couldn't think straight...4:30 PM in Death Valley! Couldn't find the black begonias and orange shrimp plants but next week it may be cooler.

Annie, between all of us we will try to fix you up with some cat's whisker's whether it be this fall or in the spring. I'm just starting to be a propagator!!! oh, boy, wait til Jeff reads that line! But maybe I can root some cuttings from Adele's plants for you.

Your greenhouse shed sounds just great. Getting a window like that is just what I have in mind for mine. "Green minds think alike!"

peace, claire in sanford

Some folks in my area call Cleomes Cat Whiskers. Is that the same thing you guys are referring to?

cribs
in a word, no.
:) marsha

Nope this one is Orthosiphon stamineus, kinda looks like bushy tall mint or plectranthus with dark green leaves and dark stems. The plant is usually wider than it is tall. The flowers are clusters arranged kinda like an upside down cone. Each flower has long whiskers that stick out in all directions like a cleome. Its one of those plants that you most often see in flowerbeds at botanical gardens but rarely see for sale at a garden center. Mine perfers shade and moisture. I have mine in a pot which it has completely filled with roots - like the way a tomato or pepper does.

Ahhhh. Live and learn!

Orthosiphon stamineus...omg...was it Jeff who was complaining about common names a few weeks back!?

I just found this thread and I have 2 cat whiskers,a new plant to me this yr.Does this plant have seeds and if so,where.Ane what nursery are yall talking about.I am always looking for a new place for plants.Thanks for the info on this plant.I will dig mine up tomorrow to bring in to over winter.I have the lilac.Can you tell me a source for the white?
moonphase

They are on sale at 'that place in sanford,' but the sticks said, "white". I'll have to check with adele about that and get back to y'all.

oh man, BB's still has them?!?
fire up the Lear!

still fixated,
marsha

Okay this is off topic- Why can't we say BB? Shannon And I hope someone is bringing babies to the 2006 Spring Swap.

Hi Guys!
I miss all of you.
Sitting here in pain, bored out of my gourd, and hungry...can't stand up to fix anything to eat. Bummer.
But, I just wanted to come on and say hellooooooo!
Hasta!
~Annie

I promise to bring some to the spring swap. I am sure we will have them by then.

Claire, I didn't even know we had any left. Did you see them in one of the greenhouses? Adele

Oh sorry...me again. I WILL have to be reminded about the cat's whiskers before the swap though. Adele

Yes, del, and they all say "white"...they were with other tender plants in a greenhouse toward the poinsettias. I really prefer the lavender.

Dirtrx, you can say it, but then you will see what happens. You can openly say any other business under the sun, but not this one. I think they are just too darned popular...just about the best nursery on the face of the earth...prices, selection, customer service...all of it. Can you read between the lines?

claire in sanford

Hi Adele!

I was in the hospital last week and am still recovering from that and then on top of that fun experience, my back went out (those terrible hospital beds are mean, now!) and pain killers and muscle relaxers don't even dull it. Fun city!
I've got enough pills in this med-bag to start my own drug store and some mega anti-biotics that are downright scary.
So I just sit here like a lump on a frog's butt, bored out of my gourd. Once in a while I lurch into the kitchen to get a drink and then cry and creep all the way back to my chair.
I don't feel much like getting on the computer, but I am
so bored. Uh! So coming on here really brightens my day, reading all of the newer posts.
Love you guys!
~Annie

For the last several years Pam Baggett of Singing Springs Nursery has offered plants of Orthosiphon stamineus. I'm hoping to swipe some seeds from plants at a nearby nursery. If I'm successful, I'll let y'all know...

Here is a link that might be useful: Singing Springs Nursery

Annie - are ya still movin to Tulsa? I'll be coming back to OK next month. Not sure when or how long but I have the lavendar colored cat's whiskers. I haven't taken cuttings yet but it is supposed to be easy to root. If you see a strange looking guy standing on your doorstep with a handfull of sticks you know its me (don't shoot!)

Don't shoot him, Annie, but please do shoot a picture. That would be so cool to see the two of you together!

I am so hoping and praying you'll be feeling better real soon...sweet annie!

Hey ya'll!
I just want to let you know that Nandina sent me some cuttings of the white Cat's Whiskers. They are happily rooting in glasses of water in my sunny southern window in here. I cannot do much moving around right now, but I can look at them everyday and feel close to my gardens. The weather has been kind and we got some much needed rain, so for now, my gardens are doing okay without my tender care.
Nandina was oh, so VERY generous and sent me some other lovelies, as well. Thank you so much. You are all so kind.
I am thrilled to pieces with all the things she sent me! All are thriving.

TriangleJohn & Kamilyen have both offered to share some of their Cat's Whiskers with me and I would definitely like to have a few of the purple ones, that's for certain. I am enamoured with Cat's Whiskers! Maybe it would be easier for you to just mail them to me??? I just hate to be a bother to anyone. I can reimburse you for the cost of shipping.
Thank you both. You are so sweet!

I love you guys. You cannot know how much your friendship and correspondence means to me. Although it is only through e-mail and the Internet that I have become acquainted with you, I feel like we are friends and that means a great deal to me, especially now. My life is in such turmoil and my current health comlicates things even more, so my future is one of much uncertainty. You cannot know how much your humour and gaeity and comradery on here helps me deal with everything I am enduring. I don't know where I will be living in the future. I am still hoping to move to the Carolinas to be near my daughter, but I will keep in touch with you no matter where I end up, that is for certain.
Thanks for welcoming me into your midst.
Your Carolina-wanna-be-friend,
~Annie
(SweetAnnie)

annie -
i hope you KNOW that you're an honorary carolinian! and a wonderful asset to the carolina forum no matter where on the map your garden grows. the knowledge and enthusiasm you bring to us is immeasurable, and i, for one, am grateful for your friendship and participation here. you're the only one on the planet who has been able to make the intricacies of soil PH crystal clear to me, and i've saved all that you've written about growing herbs in pine tree country :) i hope you get yourself patched-up and back-in-action very soon! Congratulations on your cat's whiskers! yay! personally, i'll be staked-out by adele's spring swap goodies until that first bell rings :)
marsha