Catmint Plant Care Tips: How to Grow and Care For Catmint

Catmint is the common name for Nepeta, an aromatic perennial plant frequently grown in herb gardens. Drought-tolerant and deer-resistant, the catmint plant is easy to grow and maintain. This herbaceous perennial produces long-blooming flowers that start to blossom in late spring and last through the summer. In addition to multicolored blossoms, the catmint plant has silvery green leaves with a potent aroma.

As garden plants, catmints make a good ground cover and are also popular additions to rock gardens. Catmint is also useful in landscaping as an edging plant. Sometimes confused with catnip (Nepeta cataria), the catmint plant has no behavioral effects on felines but may still attract cats to your garden. Both catnip and catmint belong to the mint family (Lamiaceae).

Catmint plants come in many different varieties with subtle differences in features like flower color and height.

1. 1. Japanese catmint: Reaching almost two feet in height, Japanese catmint (Nepeta subsessilis) displays clusters of violet flowers and gray-green foliage. Native to humid areas of Japan, this cultivar requires consistently moist soil.
2. 2. Greek catmint: A tall plant growing to an average height of six feet, Greek catmint (Nepeta parnassica) may blossom with purple, pink, or blue flowers. Native to the mountainous regions of Albania and Greece, this catmint variety is notable for its fragrant, heart-shaped leaves.
3. 3. Yellow catmint: Producing golden-hued and pale green flowers, yellow catmint (Nepeta govaniana) may reach a height of up to four feet. Originating in the Himalayas, this catmint plant attracts many pollinators including bees and butterflies.
4. 4. ‘Walker’s Low’: Shorter than other catmint cultivars, ‘Walker’s Low’ (Nepeta racemosa) only grows to about twelve inches in height. Grey-green leaves characterize ‘Walker’s Low’ catmint, which originates from Turkey and Iraq.
5. 5. ‘Blue Wonder’: Short in stature like ‘Walker’s Low,’ ‘Blue Wonder’ catmint (Nepeta racemosa) has aromatic foliage and lavender-blue flowers. Native to Iran, this cultivar displays a flush of blooms from early summer to late summer.
6. 6. ‘Six Hills Giant’: Not quite as tall as the towering Greek catmint, ‘Six Hills Giant’ (Nepeta x faassenii) reaches about two feet in height at maturity. Hummingbirds frequently pollinate the trumpet-shaped blue flowers during bloom time.
7. 7. Faassen’s catmint: Faassen’s catmint (Nepeta x faassenii) yields pale lavender flower spikes and grows up to eighteen inches tall. Like other catmints, Faassen’s catmint does well in light, sandy soils.

Planting catmint requires a few steps to get started.

1. 1. Choose a sunny spot. Catmints do best in full sun, so pick a light-drenched place in your garden to plant them.
2. 2. Plant catmint in early spring. The ideal time to plant catmint in your garden is in the early spring or once there’s no longer any threat of frost.
3. 3. Use well-draining soil. Choose a soil that drains well, as slightly drier conditions are favorable to most catmint cultivars.
4. 4. Space your catmint plants appropriately. Plant catmint seedlings a good distance apart. Smaller catmints should be planted up to two feet apart, while larger catmint plants will require closer to thirty inches of space to thrive.
5. 5. Water young catmints regularly. Dig a hole the size of your catmint seedling. Place the seedling in the hole and water it frequently throughout the plant’s first growing season, or throughout the spring. Scale back on watering as the root system takes hold.

In the right growing conditions, the catmint plant is relatively easy to care for.

1. 1. Light: Catmint grows well in light ranging from full sun to partial shade. Afternoon shade is beneficial for catmint plants so they avoid exposure to the strongest rays of daytime sun. Shade is especially important for catmint plants in hot summer months.
2. 2. Temperature: Catmint plants generally thrive in USDA hardiness zones three through nine. Avoid planting catmints in areas that experience extreme heat and humidity.
3. 3. Watering: Water new plants frequently, then decrease the frequency as your catmint plants become established—typically within a few months. Mature catmint plants are drought-tolerant and will need less water in the winter months.
4. 4. Fertilizing: Consider adding nutrient-rich compost to the area around your plant in the autumn. Otherwise, you do not need to fertilize your catmint plant to encourage growth.
5. 5. Mulching: If you live in a cold climate, protect your catmint plant by adding a layer of mulch around the base of the plant.
6. 6. Pruning: Some catmint plants produce flowers that bloom twice a year. Pruning can help foster this second growth. Cut the stems about a third of the way up from the ground to make space for fresh foliage and blooms.

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