Perennial
Catmint
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flowers | Flowers in May | Flowers in June | Flowers in July | Flowers in August | Flowers in September | |||||||
| Plant | Plant in March | Plant in April | Plant in May | Plant in September | Plant in October | |||||||
| Prune | Prune in March | Prune in July | ||||||||||
| Looks good | Looks good in May | Looks good in June | Looks good in July | Looks good in August | Looks good in September |
Overview
Catmint forms soft, billowing mounds of aromatic grey-green leaves covered in lavender-blue flowers from late spring. It is one of the best plants for bees in a sunny garden and a classic partner for roses. 'Six Hills Giant' is large and tough, 'Walker's Low' is a little more compact despite its name, and N. racemosa 'Snowflake' gives white flowers. Garden catmint is not the same as catnip (Nepeta cataria), though some cats still enjoy rolling in it.
Where to grow catmint
Grow it in sun or light shade in any well-drained soil, including poor, stony or chalky ground. It is excellent for softening path edges, under roses, along the base of walls and in gravel gardens. Wet, heavy soil in winter is the one thing it dislikes.
Planting
Plant in spring or early autumn, 45–60 cm apart for the larger types. If local cats show interest, push a few twiggy sticks or a wire cloche over young plants until they toughen up.
Care through the year
Spring
Cut back old growth to the fresh shoots at the base once new leaves appear.
Summer
When the first flowers fade and the mound opens up, shear it back by about half. Water young plants in drought only.
Autumn
Leave the last flush to fade naturally; seed heads give a little winter cover for insects.
Winter
Leave the old stems over the crown as frost protection until spring.
Pruning
Two cuts a year keep catmint compact and floriferous: the mid-summer shearing after the first flush and the spring cut-back of old stems.
Propagation
Divide clumps in spring. Softwood cuttings from non-flowering shoots root easily in late spring. Many named forms are sterile, so they will not self-seed.
Common problems
Rarely troubled by pests. Powdery mildew can appear in dry summers, usually cleared by cutting back. Cats lying in the plants are a more common problem than any disease.
Something else wrong? Diagnose it by symptom.
Month-by-month reminders
Jobs for this plant come round in March, April, May, July, September and October. Each month page lists everything else worth doing in the garden at the same time.
Related plants
Sources
Botanical names follow Kew's Plants of the World Online; growing attributes were checked against the references below. Text is our own. See our editorial policy.