Herb · Lamiaceae
Catmint
Nepeta × faassenii
Plant it in full sun and lean, dry soil, and catmint will buzz with bees and lavender-blue bloom right through summer.
Full sun
Every 7–14 days
USDA 3–8
12–24 in · 30–60 cm
Overview
Catmint is a hardy, no-fuss perennial from the mint family, prized for the cloud of lavender-blue flowers that floats above its soft gray-green leaves. It sits in the genus Nepeta beside true catnip, and the catmint you find in most gardens is the hybrid Nepeta x faassenii. Get its roots settled and it practically takes care of itself.
Expect a low, sprawling mound that bees and pollinators work over from sunup to sundown. It powers through heat, drought, and thin soil, and deer and rabbits mostly steer clear. Cats are the exception, drawn by the nepetalactone in the leaves to roll and lounge among them, even if the pull lands softer than true catnip.
Sun and crisp drainage are what it craves. Set it in lean ground, dial back the water once it's rooted, and shear it after the first bloom, and it will flower from late spring well into summer. Spoil it with rich soil and heavy feeding and you'll get floppy, open growth that cracks straight down the center.
Care
The short version: give it full sun and lean, well-drained soil, water deeply but only every so often once it's rooted, go easy on feeding, and shear it back after the first flush of bloom to keep it neat and flowering.
Light
Catmint blooms its best in full sun, where it grows thick and stands tall. It can handle a touch of shade, but skimp on sun and you'll get weak, floppy stems and far fewer flowers.
Water
Water deeply but not often, somewhere around every 7 to 14 days, letting the top half of the soil dry out between drinks. Once rooted in, the plant is truly drought-tolerant, and soggy ground is the surest way to rot its roots.
Soil
Set it in lean, well-drained soil rather than anything rich. It copes with dry to medium moisture and all kinds of textures, and a pH from 6.0 to 7.5 keeps it content. Sharp drainage counts for more than fertility here.
Temperature
This plant is tough as nails, taking everything from -40°F to 95°F (-40°C to 35°C). It powers through brutal winters and brushes off summer heat without a fuss.
Humidity
Catmint wants things dry, in the 30% to 50% range, and bristles at muggy, stagnant air. Keep the air moving and powdery mildew stays off the leaves.
Feeding
Keep it light. One feeding in spring with a balanced fertilizer or a little compost carries it through the whole season. Rich soil or extra feeding only pushes out soft, floppy stems.
Pruning
Shearing is what keeps the plant looking sharp. Trim it back by a third to a half after the first flush of bloom to hold it compact and trigger a second round of flowers, then cut the whole thing to the ground in late winter.
Repotting
Catmint belongs in the ground, not a pot. Every 3 to 4 years, lift and split the clump to freshen it up, especially once the middle goes bare or the flowering starts to fade.
Size & spacing
Plants reach 12 to 24 inches (30 to 60 cm) tall and stretch 18 to 35 inches (45 to 90 cm) across. Space each one so it has room to fill out, air flows freely, and mildew keeps its distance.
When to plant
Catmint follows an easy seasonal beat. Plant it out in spring after the frost lifts, soak up the lavender-blue spikes from late spring through summer, and shear it after the first flush to draw out a second wave of bloom.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Plant: Spring, after danger of frost has passed
- Harvest: Lavender-blue flower spikes from late spring through summer (roughly May to September); shear after the first flush to encourage a second bloom
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 3–8
Temperature: down to -40°C
Troubleshooting
Catmint asks for little and rarely acts up, and when it does the cause usually circles back to too much water or too rich a spot. Keep an eye on the stems and leaves, and a hard shearing or sharper drainage will set most things right. Match what you're seeing below, then jump on it early.
The plant wilts and crashes down in waterlogged ground
Root rot driven by Pythium or Phytophthora creeps in wherever soil stays drenched, and once you spot the wilt the roots underneath have already gone black and mushy. A plant this far gone will not recover. Yank it out, sort the drainage, replant on dry footing, and ease right off the watering can.
Fix:
- Improve drainage and remove affected plants
- Replant in well-drained soil and reduce watering
Stems fall open and split apart from the middle once the flowers fade
Call it flopping: as the first burst of bloom winds down, the stems get top-heavy and the clump cracks open. Pile on rich soil or short the plant on sun and the trouble worsens, since soft growth simply cannot hold itself up. Cut the plant back by a third to a half, keep it baking in full sun, and grow it in lean ground so the mound stays tight.
Fix:
- Shear the plant back by one-third to one-half after first flowering
- Grow in full sun and lean soil to keep growth compact
Leaves turn dusty white with a powdery film
Meet powdery mildew, a fungus that moves in when damp air collects around a crowded plant with nowhere for a breeze to pass. Give it room by spacing the plants out or dividing the clumps, snip away the worst-coated growth, and aim your water at the soil instead of the leaves.
Fix:
- Improve air circulation by spacing or dividing plants
- Shear affected growth and avoid overhead watering
Flowering tapers off once the first wave is done
Leave those spent flower spikes standing and the plant throws its energy into making seed instead of pushing fresh buds. Clip the tired spikes away after the first flush, keep the plant in full sun, and a second round of bloom usually rolls in right behind it.
Fix:
- Shear flower spikes after initial flowering to promote continued bloom
Crushed, matted leaves where a cat has been rolling around
The nepetalactone packed into the leaves pulls cats right in, and they flatten the stems rolling all over the plant. A mature clump springs back fine, but young plants can get squashed flat for good. Pop a low cage over new plantings until they take hold, or tuck them somewhere the cats wander less.
Fix:
- Protect young plants with a low cage or grow where cats have less access
Toxicity
Pet owners can relax: catmint is safe right down the line. The ASPCA lists Nepeta as non-toxic to cats and dogs, with no risk to horses, rabbits, livestock, birds, or people. Cats simply love the nepetalactone in the leaves, which sends them rolling and rubbing in pure contentment, all of it harmless.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats Safe
Perfectly safe, and most cats make a beeline for it. That nepetalactone in the leaves sets them rolling, rubbing, and drifting into a happy daze that fades on its own. Gorge on too much and a cat may get briefly queasy, but it clears up fast.
Dogs Safe
Dogs are in no danger and tend to walk right past, since the scent does nothing for them. Should a curious one chew a leaf, no harm comes of it.
Horses Safe
Horses face zero risk and can graze right alongside a planting without a worry.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits can munch the leaves with no trouble, though that sharp minty scent usually steers them off before they bother.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep take no harm from it, and the aromatic leaves rarely catch their interest anyway.
Birds Safe
Birds are perfectly safe around it. Instead the plant pays its way by reeling in bees and other pollinators that crowd its flowers.
People Safe
People are safe too. The leaves go back a long way in herbal teas, and brushing past or handling the plant carries no risk at all.
Non-toxic. Contains nepetalactone and may mildly attract and excite cats (a harmless behavioral effect, generally weaker than true catnip, Nepeta cataria). Large ingestion may occasionally cause mild, self-limiting vomiting or diarrhea, but it is not a poison.
Varieties
Most garden catmint traces back to a handful of named hybrids, each bringing its own size and shape. Here are the ones worth learning by name.
'Walker's Low'
Crowned Perennial Plant of the Year in 2007, it builds a big mound in spite of its name and stands among the most loved long-blooming catmints going.
'Six Hills Giant'
A strong-growing, taller pick that climbs to roughly 3 feet and sends up sheet after sheet of lavender-blue spikes.
'Purrsian Blue'
A neat, compact mound carrying deep periwinkle-blue flowers that pop against reddish calyxes.
How to propagate
Catmint multiplies with ease, but since the common garden hybrid is sterile, you divide it or strike cuttings rather than collect seed.
DivisionEasy
Spring or early fall · About one growing season
Dividing is your first choice with these sterile named hybrids. Dig up a settled clump in spring or early fall, pull it into pieces, and replant, and the new divisions take hold across about one growing season.
Stem cuttingsModerate
Late spring to summer, from non-flowering shoots · A few weeks to root
Cuttings give you a second dependable path with sterile hybrids. Snip softwood from shoots that aren't flowering in late spring or summer, and watch them push roots within a few weeks.
SeedModerate
Late winter to spring · Several weeks to germinate
Seed pays off only with true species or seed-grown sorts, never this one. Nepeta x faassenii comes from a sterile cross of N. racemosa and N. nepetella, so it almost never sets viable seed and has to be divided or rooted from cuttings. For the types where seed does work, sow from late winter into spring and look for germination across several weeks.
Myths
Catmint and catnip are one and the same, and they knock cats out just as hard.
Think of catmint as the showy garden relative of true catnip, Nepeta cataria. It holds the very same nepetalactone, so cats absolutely react, but the effect is usually milder.
Catmint will poison your pets.
The ASPCA puts Nepeta firmly on its non-toxic list for cats and dogs alike. It is not a poison, so a cat rolling through it or sampling a leaf has nothing to fear.