A favorite for sunny, water-scarce gardens, catmint (Nepeta x faassenii) toughs it out during hot summer weather and dry spells. It's also nearly pest- and disease-free.

Spikes of fine-textured, lavender-blue flowers rise above the aromatic, gray-green foliage, which forms a neat mound. An easy-to-maintain perennial, it requires little care except some shearing after the first flush of flowers to keep it blooming all summer. Plant catmint along a walkway so you can enjoy the aromatic foliage and flowers every time you walk by.

Common name: Catmint
Botanical name: Nepeta x faassenii
Plant type: Perennial
Height: 18 inches
Zones: 4 to 9, depending on cultivar
Family: Lamiaceae (Mint)

Growing conditions

  • Sun: Full sun to part shade
  • Soil: Well-drained
  • Moisture: Dry to medium wet

Care

  • Mulch: None required except to deter weeds.
  • Fertilizer: None required.
  • Pruning: Shear spent flower spikes to encourage all-summer flowering.

Cultivars

  • ‘Dropmore' has larger lavender-blue flowers; gray, aromatic foliage; and grows 18 to 24 inches tall. Zones 4 to 8.
  • ‘Select Blue' has fragrant blue flowers and grows 15 inches tall in a neat, mounding form. Does well in sandy soils. Zones 4 to 9.
  • ‘White Wonder' has white flowers. Grows 12 inches tall. Zones 4 to 8.

Garden Notes

  • Performs well in dry soils in hot sun, except in the deep South, where some afternoon shade is helpful.
  • Good for rock gardens, dry gardens, and containers. In colder areas of the country, treat container plants as annuals because cold winters harm plant roots.
  • Combine with red valerian (Centranthus ruber, Zones 5 to 8), bee balm (Monarda didyma, Zones 4 to 10), and yarrow cultivars such as yellow-flowered Achillea ‘Coronation Gold' (Zones 3 to 9) or pink-flowered A. millefolium ‘Cerise Queen' (Zones 3 to 9).
  • Pests and disease
  • Leaf spots occur occasionally.


Propagation

  • Divide in spring or fall.
  • Take softwood cuttings in early summer.

All in the family

  • Catnip (Nepeta cataria, Zones 3 to 7) is a close relative of catmint. While it's attractive to cats, it's not very ornamental in the garden.
  • The Lamiaceae family includes many aromatic herbs used in cooking, such as rosemary, thyme, marjoram, sage, and mint.
  • Carpet bugle (Ajuga reptans, Zones 3 to 9), coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides, Zones 11 to 12), French lavender (Lavendula dentate, Zones 5 to 9), and garden sage (Salvia officinalis, Zones 5 to 8) are other well-known members of the family.

Text by Mary Pestel, photo courtesy of Missouri Botanical Garden Plantfinder.