5 min readMany people assume that, when they plant a perennial, it will automatically survive the winter months—but that’s not true. Even if you choose the right plant for your USDA hardiness zone and care for it properly, there’s still a chance that out-of-whack weather conditions may make it so that your plant doesn’t come back next year.
Looking for a plant that doesn’t need to be babied? It’s time to consider adding catmint to your garden. Also known as nepeta, catmint is often considered the “unicorn” of perennials, with a tough disposition and pretty, long-blooming purple flowers. And, dare we say it? Even you (probably) can’t kill it.
“I truly love nepeta,” says landscape designer Katherine Aul Cervoni, founder of Staghorn NYC and The Cultivation by Kat. “Catmint ticks so many boxes for me: minimal maintenance, tolerant of extreme temperatures, water-savvy, super long bloom time, beautiful color, pollinator magnet, excellent filler, and good in a container or in the ground.”
Catmint can be used beautifully in many different garden settings, including as edging, foundation plantings, as a ground cover, or part of a mixed border. “It’s an incredibly versatile perennial for several reasons,” says Chuck Pavlich, director of new product development with Terra Nova Nurseries. “It can grow in a wide range of conditions, making it a great choice for gardeners across almost every state in the U.S. It’s also easy to care for and isn’t particularly picky about soil.”
To learn more about how to grow and care for catmint, check out the care tips below.
Catmint Plant Basics
Common Name: Catmint
Botanical Name: Nepeta faassenii, Nepeta hybrid
Family: Lamiaceae
Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
Soil Type: Average to slightly heavy soil
Mature Size: 14 to 18 inches wide by 6 to 36 inches tall
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3 to 8
Native Area: Asia
Pet Toxicity: Temporary neurological effects in cats; not toxic to dogs
How to Grow Catmint
With such a variety of sizes, there’s a catmint that will work in your garden. It’s fairly quick-growing and provides lots of nice color its first year, unlike some perennials, which can take several years to mature. Pollinators, including bees, beneficial insects, and hummingbirds, love this plant!
Sunlight
Catmint needs full sun, which is considered six or more hours of direct sunlight per day. The more sun, the better, because if the plants get too much shade, they tend to get leggy and underperform, says Cervoni.
Water
The plant is drought-tolerant once established, making it a waterwise solution. Make sure not to overwater, however, or the plants can get soft and mushy, says Fifo.
Soil Type
Catmint isn’t fussy about soils and will tolerate anything from sand to clay. But avoid wet areas, which may cause legginess or root rot, says Cervoni.
Fertilizer
Nepeta aren’t heavy feeders but benefit from a spring application of a slow-release, balanced granular fertilizer. A second application can be made if a second (or third) bloom period is desired, says Pavlich.
Common Problems with Catmint
Catmint is particularly carefree and rarely has issues. “I’ve never seen any diseases to speak of,” says Cervoni. “They’re very tough to kill!”
In addition, few insect pests bother catmint. Occasionally, “thrips can cause damage, leaving little white dots on top of the foliage, as they take the plant nutrients from the underside of the leaves. Their damage is usually not enough to worry about,” says Pavlich.
Types of Catmint
There are many different types of catmint, so there’s one that will fit in your garden setting, including:
- ‘Walker's Low’: A favorite of landscapers, with purple-blue flowers and fine-leafed foliage.
- ‘Junior Walker’: An earlier bloomer, with a structure that stays tidy.
- ‘Lemon Purrfection’: Stays about 10 inches tall and has lemony-yellow foliage and purple flowers that appear earlier than many other varieties.
- ‘NOVA Blue’: Has bright lavender-purple flowers and stays short and tidy all season, so it makes an excellent groundcover.
- ‘Purple Haze’: Has silvery foliage and purple-blue flower spikes that resemble butterfly bush.
- ‘Blue Dragon’: Has huge blue flowers that look like tiny dragon’s heads.
- ‘Cat’s Pajamas’: A very long-blooming variety with indigo blue flowers from the soil to the tips. After the blooms fall, rosy purple calyxes continue to provide color.
Do You Need to Deadhead Catmint?
Many plants do best when you deadhead, or snip off spent blooms. But that’s not necessary with catmint. Catmint will keep blooming for weeks and weeks on its own without any intervention from you. However, if you’d like the plant to push a second large flush of flowers, cut it back right after the first set of blooms fades, and give it a boost with a slow-release fertilizer, says Pavlich.
When Should You Cut Back Catmint?
After the growing season, you can trim the plants back or leave catmint alone until spring. It’s your choice. “I like leaving the foliage for overwintering insects and wildlife habitat,” says Chris Fifo, product representative for Darwin Perennials. “Then I do a bit of cleanup of dead foliage in the spring as you see new growth sprouting.”
If you prefer a tidier look in the fall, cut back upright types after a hard frost so that they’ll show only fresh stems and foliage in the spring. However, short, groundcover-type catmint rarely needs to be cut back in the fall. “They remain evergreen in a fair number of climates, so there’s little to do,” says Pavlich.
For those of you who are more of a hands-off type of gardener, it’s fine to leave catmint alone to do its thing. “You don’t have to cut back because the plants remain attractive even when not in full bloom,” says Fifo.
Is Catmint Toxic to Pets?
Catmint is related to catnip (Nepeta cataria). Both plants contain nepetalactone, though catmint contains less of this chemical. “Cats ‘high’ on nepeta exhibit behaviors similar to female cats in heat,” says Tina Wismer, DVM, senior director of toxicology at ASPCA Poison Control. “The effects last for 10-15 minutes, then the cat returns to normal behavior.” Thus, technically, nepeta is toxic, as it causes neurologic signs, but it is not deadly and will not cause any lasting issues, says Wismer.
Dogs are not affected in the same manner, but they can experience potential GI upset from ingesting catmint, says Wismer. Call your vet if you are concerned about your pet nibbling on this (or any) plant. It’s always better to be safe than sorry!
