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    Home » Gardening

    Growing Catmint Plants in the Garden

    by Patti Estep · Jul 25, 2022

    Catmint plants growing on the hillside.
    Closeup of a catmint flowering stem over the entire plant.

    Learn a little about growing and caring for catmint plants. Beautiful long blooming perennials that are a must have in the garden.

    Catmint plants in the garden.

    Catmint or Nepeta is one of my favorite perennials to grow in the garden. Not to be confused with Nepeta cataria commonly known as Catnip which is not as pretty as catmint however cats seem to enjoy both. This particular flowering perennial herb is Nepeta x faassenii 'Walker's Low. Both are members of the mint family.

    A small new catmint plant in the garden.

    Catmint plants have fragrant pretty gray-green foliage and beautiful lavender-blue flowers that bloom for a long time.

    Nepeta x faassenii 'Walker's Low Characteristics

    • Size: 30 inches tall by 36 inches wide
    • Hardy to USDA Zones 4-9
    • Light Requirements - Full sun to partial shade
    • Water Needs - Average - Water during periods of extreme heat.
    • Soil - Average well-draining soil
    • Bloom time - Late spring, summer, and into early fall
    • Synonymous with Nepeta racemosa
    • Few pest problems but can have trouble with powdery mildew

    Special Characteristics

    • Won the Perennial Plant Associations 'Plant of the Year' in 2007
    • Deer resistant and rabbit resistant
    • Heat and drought tolerant once established however would benefit from some afternoon shade
    • Attracts bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and other pollinators
    • Works well in flower arrangements

    How to Propagate Catmint

    You can make more plants for the garden through clump divisions or rooting stems in water. Personally, I like to use the clump division method in the late summer or early fall for this plant. Just cut back the foliage. Then dig up the plant. Then, using a sharp shovel or spade cut it into 2 or 3 sections and plant them in a sunny spot. Be sure to give the divisions a good drink of water and continue to water at least once a week until the cold weather sets in.

    Full size catmint plant in full flower.

    Nepeta × faassenii also known as Faassen’s catmint, is a reliable somewhat tall upright flowering perennial in my garden. Bees love it, as well as butterflies and other pollinators and I like using it in summer flower arrangements.

    Catmint plant closeup of leaves and flowers.

    Above is a close-up image of the plant. Look at the beautiful grey-green leaves and pretty purple flowers.

    Other Catmint Varieties

    • Six Hills Giant - One of the tallest, reaching up to 3 feet tall.
    • Cat's Pajamas - Dwarf compact variety that only gets about 14 inches tall
    • Cat's Meow - Another shorter tidy clumping variety that gets about 1 -2 feet tall.
    • Snowflake or White Wonder - White flowering varieties

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    Catmint plant later in the season with branches falling outward.

    In mid-late summer cutting back or shearing the stems on the outer perimeter will promote new growth to grow in the center.  Thus giving you more of this beauty to enjoy for the rest of the season.

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    More Great Perennial Plants

    • Hardy Geraniums
    • Echinacea Purpurea AKA Coneflower
    • Hardy Begonia - Begonia Grandis
    • Salvia in the Garden
    • English vs French Lavender
    • Hellebore AKA Lenten Rose
    Small catmint plant in flower.
    « Summertime Black Cherry Crisp Dessert
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    About Patti Estep

    Patti is the creator of Hearth and Vine, a home and garden blog filled with projects to inspire your creative side. She loves crafting, gardening, decorating and entertaining at her home in Pennsylvania. When she is not working on a project at home or searching for treasures at nurseries and thrift stores with her girlfriends, you’ll probably find her with family and friends, at a restaurant, or home party enjoying new and different food adventures.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Carole West

      July 29, 2022 at 8:12 am

      Patti, okay you got my attention with this one. The dainty flowers are precious and could see this planted in a neat bed with other perennials. Easy care and natural beauty that's what I'm after. Thank you added it to my planting pin board. You know I took a 2-year break from Pinterest and have found it very helpful for planning our home -Carole

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        July 29, 2022 at 8:33 am

        Hi Carole, I do love this one. I'm not sure if the heat and/or humidity in your climate will affect this one but you can probably get away with making sure it isn't too crowded and maybe someplace where it will get a break from the afternoon sun.

        Reply

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    Catmint plants growing on the hillside.
    Closeup of a catmint flowering stem over the entire plant.
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    Catmint plants growing on the hillside.
    Closeup of a catmint flowering stem over the entire plant.

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