Catmint Plant Profile

Catmint (Nepeta) is a perennial herb that is a member of the mint family. It is an extremely easy-growing plant with few pests or problems. Nepeta has slightly aromatic grey-green foliage with a delicate, lacy appearance. Its billowing foliage is topped with spikes of flowers in early summer with repeat blooms throughout the season. The flowers can be white, pink, or lavender-blue.

Most catmint varieties have a somewhat sprawling growth habit, making them nice plants for edging and along paths. However, there are a few tall-growing varieties, like ‘Six Hills Giant’, with a more upright habit. As with many scented, gray-foliage plants, catmint is deer-resistant.

How to Grow Catmint

Catmint is one of those plants that thrives on neglect. Many of the newer varieties of nepeta are sterile, producing no viable seeds. This is a plus if you don’t like the weedy, self-seeding habit of older catmint varieties, but it means you will need to either buy plants or make plants from divisions or cuttings.

Choose a sunny spot with well-draining soil. A lean soil and somewhat dry growing conditions will encourage both more flowers and a stronger scent. Too much fertilizer will only make it grow lots of flimsy foliage.

As with most plants, the mature size will depend on the variety you are growing. Most catmints are floppy, bushy plants that space about 10 to 24 inches tall and 12 to 24 inches wide. However, there are some varieties that are more compact and others that will grow 4 feet tall and 3 feet wide. New catmint varieties are being introduced regularly, so the best thing to do is to shop around and read the plant description before you buy.

Expect your Nepeta to start blooming in early summer with repeat blooms throughout the growing season. Deadheading or shearing your plants will give you stockier plants and the lushest second bloom.

Light

You will get the best flowering if you plant your catmint in full sun, however, the plants will also grow well in partial shade.

Soil

Humus-rich, well-draining soil is ideal. Many species grow easily in a wide range of soil types, including dry clay.

Water

First-year plants need frequent watering, but once rooted, catmints are drought-tolerant.

Temperature and Humidity

Catmints like cool temperatures and benefit from afternoon shade in warm climates. They are often not tolerant of high heat and humidity.

Fertilizer

Add compost to the plant’s base in the fall, but once rooted it needs no further fertilization.

Propagating Catmint

Catmint plants will continue to grow and bloom well for years. But if you’d like to divide them to make more plants, all Nepeta varieties respond well to division in the spring. Find a section of the plant with undeveloped shoots and a good root system and slice it vertically with a spade. Replant the division, and keep watering it until it becomes established.

Varieties of Catmint

• Nepeta nervosa ‘Felix’: Compact plant with vivid lavender-blue flowers; 12 inches tall and 24 inches wide
• Nepeta x ‘Six Hills Giant’: One of the tallest-growing Nepetas with lavender-blue flowers, 36 inches tall and 30 inches wide
• Nepeta subsessilis ‘Sweet Dreams': Pink flowers with burgundy bracts; likes a bit more water than most Nepetas; 2 feet tall and 3 feet wide
• Nepeta racemosa ‘Walker’s Low’: Lavender-blue flowers with 8-inch spikes; a 2007 Perennial Plant of the Year; 2 feet tall and 2 feet wide and one of the hardiest and most reliable Nepetas

Pruning

Most catmints will repeat bloom if they are sheared back after their initial flowering. Some won’t provide much of a second show, but their foliage will be refreshed and tidied by the shearing.

Common Pests

With its scented, fuzzy, gray leaves, problems with catmint are very rare. If something should attack the leaves, you can cut the plant back and it will very quickly regrow.

Landscape Uses for Catmint

Catmint is a classic choice for planting under roses. The pale colors of catmint complement most roses, and the soft, frilly foliage hides the ugly "knees" of the rose bush. Catmint is also a wonderful plant for edging, where it softens hard lines. Catmint plants will gracefully spill over walls and walkways and are also a great contrast to spiky plants like iris and yucca.

The pastel blues of catmint flowers pair well with pink and yellow flowers, such as those of daylilies and yarrow (achillea). Because of its similarity to lavender plants, catmint is often used as a replacement in areas where lavender does not grow well.