These easy-to-grow plants have slightly aromatic gray-green foliage with a delicate, lacy appearance.
Their billowing foliage is topped with spikes of white, pink, or lavender-blue flowers.
There are many different catmint cultivars and new ones are being introduced regularly.
The Spruce / K. Dave
The plant is hardy in USDA Zones 4-8.
Catmint is long-blooming, starting in early summer and repeatedly blooming throughout the season.
Like many scented, gray-foliage plants, catmint is deer-resistant.
The Spruce / K. Dave
It grows quickly and in most climates can be planted from spring to early fall.
The Spruce / K. Dave
Catmint Care
Catmint is one of those plants that thrives on neglect.
All it needs is a location in full sun with well-draining soil.
The Spruce / K. Dave
New plants only require watering until they are established; after that, they are drought-tolerant.
The plants look their best in cooler summer weather.
Extreme heat and high humidity take their toll on the plant but it usually bounces back again.
Nepeta ‘Chartreuse on the Loose’The Spruce / Grant Webster
Early fall is also a good time for planting.
Light
Plant your catmint infull sunto get the best flowering.
However, the plants will also grow well in partial shade.
Soil
Humus-rich, well-draining soil is ideal.
Catmint isnot fussy about soil pH, growing well in a wide range (5.0 to 8.0).
Once established, catmints are drought-tolerant and don’t need watering.
Temperature and Humidity
Catmints like cool temperatures.
In warm climates, they benefit from afternoon shade and often don’t tolerate high heat and humidity well.
Fertilizer
Catmint is not a heavy feeder.
The Spruce / Leticia Almeida
In subsequent years, the plant needs no further fertilization.
Some varieties wont provide much of a second show, but shearing refreshes and tidies up their foliage.
Skip pruning catmint as part of the fall cleanup; instead, wait until mid-winter or early spring.
Propagating Catmint
Catmint is commonly propagated by division or from cuttings.
Divide the plant in the spring.
Find a section of the plant with undeveloped shoots and a good root system.
Slice it vertically with a spade.
Water well and keep the plant well-watered until it shows new growth.
To propagate catmint from cuttings.
Insert the stem in a small container filled with damp potting soil.
Keep the cutting in a location with bright light but away from direct sunlight.
Water regularly to keep the soil evenly moist.
Once the new plant has developed some vigor, transplant it into the garden or a larger pot.
Plant the seedlings outdoors after there is no more danger of a spring frost.
Common Pests & Plant Diseases
Catmint is rarely bothered by any pests and diseases.
What Do Catmint Flowers Look and Smell Like?
The small, two-lipped flowers grow in loose spike-like clusters at the end of the stems.
The flowers are white, pink, or lavender-blue.
Their scent is rather faint compared to the strong fragrance of the leaves.
Lean soil and somewhat dry growing conditions will encourage both more flowers and a stronger foliage scent.
Too much fertilizer will only make the plant grow lots of flimsy foliage instead of flowers.
It’s commercially grown to make cat toys and essential oils.
Some older catmint varieties also reseed freely.
To avoid these issues, choose a compact, bushy variety that does not produce viable seeds.
Cutting the plant back mid-summer also refreshes its look.
For neighbors, select plants that are able to compete with catmint.
Yes, you’re able to plant catmint and lavender together.
Catmint and lavender are both part of the mint family.Lavenderis more finicky to grow.
