Herb · Lamiaceae
Catmint
Nepeta × faassenii
Hand it 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 tough, low-maintenance perennial from the mint family, and people grow it for that soft cloud of lavender-blue flowers floating over gray-green leaves. It sits in the genus Nepeta, right alongside true catnip, and the catmint you'll find in most gardens is the hybrid Nepeta x faassenii. Get it settled in, and it'll ask you for next to nothing.
It builds a low, sprawling mound that bees and other pollinators visit all day long. Heat, drought, lousy soil? It takes them in stride, and deer and rabbits usually leave it be. Cats are a different matter, since the nepetalactone in the leaves pulls them in to roll and lounge, even if the pull is softer than true catnip.
More than anything, it craves sun and sharp drainage. Set it in lean ground, ease off the water once it's rooted in, and give it a shear after the first bloom, and you'll get flowers from late spring well into summer. Spoil it with rich soil and heavy feeding, though, and you'll end up with floppy, open growth that splits right down the center.
Care
The short version: full sun and lean, well-drained soil, deep but occasional watering once it's established, easy on the feeding, and a shear after that first flush of bloom to keep it neat and flowering.
Light
Catmint blooms its heart out in full sun, where it stays thick and stands up straight. A bit of light shade is fine, but skimp on the sun and you'll get weak, floppy stems with far fewer flowers.
Water
Water deep but go easy on how often, somewhere around every 7 to 14 days, and let the top half of the soil dry out before the next drink. Once it's established this plant is truly drought-tolerant, and soggy ground is the quickest way to rot the roots.
Soil
Give it lean, well-drained soil instead of anything fancy. It copes with dry to medium moisture and all sorts of textures, and a pH from 6.0 to 7.5 keeps it happy. Honestly, sharp drainage counts for more than richness here.
Temperature
This plant is incredibly hardy, handling anything from -40°F to 95°F (-40°C to 35°C). It powers through brutal winters and laughs off summer heat all the same.
Humidity
Catmint wants things on the dry side, roughly 30% to 50% humidity, and it hates muggy, still air. Keep the air moving and powdery mildew stays off the leaves.
Feeding
Keep it light. A single spring feeding with a balanced fertilizer or a scoop of compost covers the whole year. Pile on rich soil or extra food and all you grow is soft, floppy stems.
Pruning
Shearing is what keeps this plant looking sharp. Cut it back by a third to a half once the first flush of bloom is spent to hold it compact and bring on a second round, then take the whole thing down to the ground in late winter.
Repotting
Catmint belongs in the ground, not a pot. Every 3 to 4 years, dig it up and split the clump to freshen it, especially once the middle goes bald or the flowering starts to fade.
Size & spacing
Expect plants to reach 12 to 24 inches (30 to 60 cm) tall and stretch 18 to 35 inches (45 to 90 cm) across. Leave each one space to fill in so air flows freely and mildew keeps its distance.
When to plant
Catmint follows an easy seasonal beat. Pop plants in the ground in spring once frost is behind you, soak up the lavender-blue spikes from late spring through summer, and shear after the first flush to nudge out a second round 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 hardly ever fusses, and when something does go sideways it almost always comes down to too much water or too rich a spot. Keep an eye on the stems and leaves, and a hard shearing or better drainage usually sets things right. Find what matches below, then jump on it early.
The plant wilts and caves in where the ground stays wet
This is root rot, brought on by Pythium or Phytophthora when soil refuses to drain. By the time you notice wilting, the roots have already gone black and mushy underneath, and a plant that far gone can't be rescued. Pull it, sort out the drainage, and start fresh in a dry spot while easing way off on the water.
Fix:
- Improve drainage and remove affected plants
- Replant in well-drained soil and reduce watering
Your catmint splits down the middle and sprawls open once it's done flowering
What you're seeing is flopping, and it usually shows up once that first round of bloom fades and the stems get top-heavy. Too much rich soil and not enough sun? That just makes the stems softer and weaker. The fix is simple: shear the plant back by a third to a half, and keep it in full sun on 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
A dusty white film spreading across the leaves
That's powdery mildew, a fungus that moves in when the air stays humid and the plant is packed too tight to breathe. Give it room by spacing the plants out or dividing the clumps, snip away the worst of the coated growth, and aim your water at the base instead of soaking the leaves from above.
Fix:
- Improve air circulation by spacing or dividing plants
- Shear affected growth and avoid overhead watering
Flowering tapers off or quits after that opening round
Leave the spent flower spikes standing and the plant shifts its energy into making seed rather than new buds. Want more flowers? Shear those old spikes off once the first flush is done and keep the plant in full sun, and a second wave usually rolls in soon after.
Fix:
- Shear flower spikes after initial flowering to promote continued bloom
Leaves squashed flat and tangled where a cat has been rolling
The nepetalactone in the leaves is a magnet for cats, who roll right on top of the plant and mash the stems down flat. Established plants shrug it off and recover, but a young one can get loved to death. Pop a low cage over new plantings until they're settled, or tuck them somewhere the cats don't wander.
Fix:
- Protect young plants with a low cage or grow where cats have less access
Toxicity
Here's the good news for pet owners: catmint is safe all around. The ASPCA marks Nepeta as non-toxic to cats and dogs, and there's nothing to worry about for horses, rabbits, livestock, birds, or people either. Cats just can't resist the nepetalactone in the leaves, which has them rolling and rubbing in pure bliss, no harm done.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats Safe
Catmint is perfectly safe, and most cats head straight for it. The nepetalactone in the leaves sets them rolling, rubbing, and zoning out happily, and the buzz fades on its own. If a cat really stuffs itself, it might feel a little off for a moment, but that clears up fast.
Dogs Safe
No worries for dogs, who tend to walk right past it since the smell does nothing for them. Even a curious pup that nibbles a leaf or two will be just fine.
Horses Safe
Horses are in no danger here. They can graze right alongside a planting without a thing to worry about.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits can munch the leaves with no harm, though that sharp minty smell usually steers them elsewhere before they get the chance.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep stay completely safe around it, and the aromatic leaves rarely tempt them to bother anyway.
Birds Safe
Birds have nothing to fear from it. Instead, the plant pays its way by drawing in the 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 won't do you any harm.
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 of the catmint you'll see in gardens comes from a handful of named hybrids, each with a different size and shape. Here are the ones worth knowing.
'Walker's Low'
It picked up Perennial Plant of the Year honors in 2007, and despite what the name suggests it builds a big mound, sitting among the most loved long-blooming catmints out there.
'Six Hills Giant'
A bigger, energetic cultivar that climbs to roughly 3 feet and sends up sheet after sheet of lavender-blue spikes.
'Purrsian Blue'
A neat, compact little mound with rich periwinkle-blue blooms that pop against their reddish calyxes.
How to propagate
Catmint is a breeze to multiply, but since the usual garden hybrid is sterile, you split it or take cuttings rather than bother with seed.
DivisionEasy
Spring or early fall · About one growing season
For these sterile named hybrids, division is your best bet. Dig up a mature clump in spring or early fall, pull it apart into pieces, and tuck them back in, and the new divisions usually find their feet over about one growing season.
Stem cuttingsModerate
Late spring to summer, from non-flowering shoots · A few weeks to root
Cuttings are the other dependable way to clone a sterile hybrid. Snip softwood from shoots that aren't flowering in late spring or summer, and they'll put down roots in a few weeks.
SeedModerate
Late winter to spring · Several weeks to germinate
Seed is really only an option for true species or seed-grown kinds, not this one. Nepeta x faassenii came from crossing N. racemosa with N. nepetella, and being sterile it almost never makes viable seed, so you're stuck dividing or taking cuttings instead. For the types where seed does work, scatter it from late winter into spring and give it several weeks to sprout.
Myths
Catmint and catnip are basically the same thing and knock cats out just as hard.
Think of catmint as the ornamental relative of true catnip, the garden plant Nepeta cataria. It packs the same nepetalactone, so cats definitely still react, but the effect is usually milder.
Catmint will poison your pets.
Nope. The ASPCA puts Nepeta on its non-toxic list for both cats and dogs. It is not a poison, so a cat rolling around in it or chewing a leaf is in no trouble at all.