Catmint - A Guide to Growing Irresistible Catmint Plants

Plant type:

Herbaceous perennial

Hardiness:

Varies by species. Most are cold hardy to zone 3.

Height:

9 inches to 3 feet

Flower color:

Various shades of lavender-blue, pink, violet, or white, often enhanced by darker calyces.

Foliage:

Fuzzy gray-green to medium green leaves with scalloped edges.

Light preference:

Full sun to light shade.

Bloom time:

Typically, late spring to early fall, although some varieties bloom earlier and longer.

Special attributes:

• Heat and drought tolerant.
• The minty, aromatic leaves make them rabbit and deer resistant.
• Attracts bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects.
• Provides year-round interest, with the gray-green foliage fading to brownish, then gray-taupe over the winter months.

• Nepeta ×faassenii (Faassen’s catmint): By far, the most popular cultivars grown for ornamental use belong to this hybrid, which has sterile flowers that won’t self-sow and don’t require deadheading.
• Nepeta subsessilis (Japanese catmint): Unlike other varieties, this one prefers moist soil and partial shade, making it a good option for cooler, wetter climates.
• Nepeta racemosa (Persian or dwarf catmint): This low-growing species forms rounded mounds that spread as wide as the plants are tall. Ranging in height from 12 to 18 inches, it is often used as a colorful groundcover.
• Nepeta cataria (catnip): More aromatic than catmint, this is the plant that frisky felines go crazy for, but its ornamental attributes are lacking and it tends to be weedy and invasive. In the garden, it offers the most value as a culinary herb or as a repellant for certain insects, including mosquitoes, aphids and squash bugs.

Where to plant:

Although most prefer full sun, they won’t mind a bit of afternoon shade, especially when grown in hot climates. Catmint will grow in just about any soil type as long as it’s well drained. Wet or soggy sites can lead to root rot.

When to plant:

From spring (after the last threat of frost has passed) through early fall.

How to plant:

Although it can be grown from seed, it’s easier and more reliable to purchase nursery-grown plants since hybrids may not grow true to seed and some varieties are sterile. Provide ample space between plants, since many tend to grow wider than tall.

Use catmint in mixed containers like this “Brooklyn Heights” recipe that includes ‘Cat’s Meow’ catmint, Angelface® Blue Angelonia, and Snowstorm® Giant Snowflake® bacopa. Photo by Proven Winners.

Water requirements:

The beauty of this perennial is its plant-it-and-forget-it nature. Very rarely will it need supplemental watering. The exceptions are new plants or transplants, which should be watered regularly through their first growing season until they become established. Japanese catmints (N. subsessilis) also benefit from watering to keep the soil moist.

Fertilizing:

Don’t bother. Given the right growing conditions, catmint is unlikely to run out of gas. Applying additional fertilizer will only result in floppy stems and fewer flowers.

Pruning:

Some may go into a summer lull after the first flush of blooms has faded. Shearing your plants back by a third or more will reenergize them for a second bloom cycle and produce lush new foliage. Even without being sheared, they will often repeat bloom, although not quite as prolifically. Deadheading is unnecessary to prevent self-sowing because the seeds of hybrids are sterile. However, it may help stimulate new flower development.

Propagating:

It is one of the easiest plants to divide, and doing so every 3 or 4 years will help to keep it vigorous. Simply use a spade to separate rooted sections of an established plant and then replant the divisions, spacing them about a foot apart. Stem cuttings can also be taken in the spring before flower buds form and used for propagation.

Pests and Diseases:

May be bothered by thrips, which are best treated with insecticidal soap or neem oil. Catmint, especially catnip (N. cataria), is known to repel pests such as mosquitoes, aphids, squash bugs, cabbage loopers and more.

Garden uses:

Butterfly gardens, borders, herb gardens, mass plantings, groundcovers, rock gardens, and as an edging plant along walkways. Can also be used as a substitute for lavender, since they share a similar color palette.

Good companions:

Catmint’s cool-toned foliage and flowers blend well with most other colors, particularly reds, deeper purple tones, pinks and yellows. Red roses and catmint are a classic combination, but equally attractive red-flowered companions include Veronica spicata 'Red Fox', Monarda didyma 'Pardon My Cerise', and red valerian (Centranthus ruber). In the purple color spectrum, try pairing catmint with ‘Purple Ruffles’ basil, drumstick alliums and purple coral bells, such as Heuchera Dolce® 'Wildberry'. Just about any yellow-flowering plant looks good alongside catmint, but those sharing similar growing requirements and bloom times include Coreopsis grandiflora ‘Early Sunrise’, Achillea ‘Moonshine’ yarrow, and yellow daylilies, such as Hemerocallis ‘Stella de Oro’.