Cat's Out of the Bag: Catmint Is One of the Best and Easiest Plants to Grow

It’s hard to go out on a limb and characterize a plant by using superlatives such as “best” and “easiest”. But I have to go out on that limb for Nepeta, known as Catmint. Catmint is one of the best and easiest plants to grow. I can’t help but say it.

Why is Catmint so praiseworthy? Well, first off, most gardeners and garden admirers like lavender and calming blue-purple tones quite a lot. In the heat of summer when there is plenty of green plus bold brightness from the sun and from many annuals, a broad range of yellows, golds, and orange tones are beautiful staples in the plant world. We see them everywhere. But as pretty as plants that flower in these colors are, they somehow require calming lavender tones to balance them out. 

Catmint offers a range of peaceful lavender tones; it blooms early in summer and holds its blooms pretty much all season; and it fills areas in the garden with generous amounts of color… no tiny pops of color here or there with Nepeta. No, Nepeta makes a bolder statement, all the while looking lacy, classic, and politely in control of itself.

Catmint is not only visually appealing but also appealing to gardeners’ sense of smell. It has a minty scent that tends to be ever-present but fairly delicate. There is generally no need to crush the stems and petite silvery gray leaves of Nepeta, Catmint, to experience this scent. Nepeta’s fragrance seems to come out with just a little warmth from the sun. Pass this plant in the garden, and you will feel as though you are on a retreat to a calming place.

Now, although almost every gardener I know appreciates the fragrance of Catmint, deer and bunnies are apparently non-gardeners. (I guess we already suspected that, although they surely do a great job with pruning and cutting back plants.) Both deer and rabbits need to get quite ravenous to choose Catmint for dining; in typical circumstances, it is of no interest to them. This comes as a relief to those of us who would like to see the plants in our gardens remain intact all season.

Speaking of seasons, while some perennials do best when dug in to take hold in spring or early summer, Catmint seems ever-ready to acclimate itself to a new location and do well, even if planted late in the season. A late-summer transplanting effort is typically just fine for this plant. Despite its somewhat delicate-looking flower spikes, small leaves, and thin stems, it is among the strongest and most resilient plants I know. (Here I go again with the superlatives….)

I sometimes lose track of where best to plant Catmint, remembering little more than the fact that it can handle just about anything in terms of soil type... in fact, preferring lean soil over rich soil. But it is important to remember that the soil should never allow this plant to get waterlogged. In spots where I plant Nepeta, there is naturally good drainage by way of pebble-filled earth, and there is also good sunlight to dry things out further. Catmint likes this sort of location, and without feeding it or fussing with it, I enjoy it each year.

I guess this is why it is no stretch to go out on a limb for Catmint and describe it using superlatives. I suspect the “cat is already out of the bag”, with most gardeners already agreeing that this perennial is really something special. It is.