Catmint
Nepeta species and hybrids. LAMIACEAE (LABIATAE).
Planting and Growing Catmint
You’ll find everything you need to know to plant and grow catmint in the accompanying table’s tabs:
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- Flowers, foliage, and root structure of catmint
- Plant hardiness and growing conditions for catmint
- Season of bloom and planting time for catmint
- When, how deep, and where to plant catmint
- How to plant catmint
- Watering, fertilizing, care, and pests or diseases of catmint
- Landscape and container uses of catmint
- Comments about catmint and its features
Growing Catmint
About 250 species of open, mounding or spreading, mintlike, stoloniferous, deciduous annual or perennial herbs, 1–3 ft. (30–90 cm) tall. Opposite, textured, gray green, oval or triangular, fragrant leaves, to 2 in. (50 mm) long.
Commonly cultivated species include blue catmint, Nepeta X faassenii; common catnip Nepeta cataria; and Siberian catnip, Nepeta sibirica.
Planting and Care Guide
Blooms
Many tiny, blue, lavender, white flowers, to 1/4‑in. (6‑mm) long, with pale purple spots, in tall, spiking clusters, in spring–summer.
Best Climates
Hardy. Self-seeding. Zones 3–7. Best in cold-winter climates.
Soil Type and Fertility
Moist, well-drained loam. Fertility: Average. 6.5–7.5 pH.
Where and How to Plant
Early spring in full sun, 6 in. (15 cm) apart.
Proper Care
Very easy. Keep moist; allow soil surface to dry between waterings. Fertilize monthly. Shear. Propagate by division, seed.
About This Plant
Good choice for beds, containers, ground covers in natural gardens. Invasive. Disease resistant. Leafhopper susceptible.
Catnip and catmint species may attract house cats and other feline animals to your landscape, containers, or gardens due to its alluring fragrance.