Cat Grass

[Tambrey]

yes, I did forget to mention that catnip prefers a neutral soil...so too much lime or even too much of a compost can set the soil off enough that it might not be right...pH test kits can be gotten at most garden centers...and many state extension offices will do soil testing....you can get a brown bag from them and send a sample in to them and they will tell you exactly what you have and what you would need to do to make ammendments, if necessary

[Traci]

I don't know what the varieties are, they never listed them (really, their labels are pretty generic - I think I did get a few walker's low a few years ago, but don't recall getting them again after that).

One of our local nursery owners is an expert, he should know better, but I did have to correct him a few times on his garden articles in our paper regarding toxic plants to pets. Unfortunately, most nurseries don't have a clue on those issues.

Anyway, I'm not sure what I'm going to do, might have to just stick with the potted nip this year, we have so much to do and so little time to do it. I extended the garden last year and placed the "retired" original kitty house there with more stepping stones, little did I know how much the cats still love that little house. We re-roofed it and put a little porch on it, right now I have two stray kittens using it

[Tambrey]

you know...if you wanted me to...I could probably dig a few clumps of our catnip once it appears and ship it to you, it grows pretty much all over our back yard...LOL....our zones are close enough that if it lasts here, it should there too....I could wrap the root clumps in some damp paper towels or newspaper then stick on a plastic back and overnight them to you...just send me a PM if you want to try this way rather than from a garden center again

And you are right...most garden centers could care less about safety of their plants...that is a big discussion that I got into with the other co-manager yesterday...

We inherited alot of plants from a sister nursery that went out of business...they had alot of artemesia, st.john's wort, valerian, passiflora, digitalis..all lovely plants and have their place in the common garden...but also are used in herbal remedies, tinctures, essential oils, etc...and are also very dangerous if chewed on by children or pets...or even handled and hands are not washed afterwards...
We are expanding our edible offerings with kitchen herbs and mints...but strong mints should not be used by pregnant women...
so many things wiht plants....

Anyways, I wanted a sign made to cover our butts stating that if using any of our plants for tinctures, teas, spices, essential oils to be sure to do their own research and our garden center, suppliers, workers or affiliated businesses are not to be held liable in the event of an allergic or adverse reaction to any of our plants...
He does not think people will care....I worry that someone will come back and say their pet died or their child ended up in the ICU because they nibbled on a pretty pink digitalis flower...or whatever....

[k9Karen]

I would highly recommend having some type of warning/disclaimer posted in a very visible place. I'm sure your boss has a lawyer he can consult. Stapling a hand-out that has pertinent info to the receipt in addition to the sign might not be a bad idea either. You might be able to find a warning on the FDA or CDC or a poison control website that you could copy verbatim (just list them as the source, and you should be able to use it without worrying about copyright infringement). If there is more info available on the site than you want to put on a handout, just put the URL on it so they know where to go to find the information.