Catnip
Nepeta cataria
Also listed as Cataria vulgaris, Glechoma cataria
Also known as Catmint, Field Balm, Catwort
Climate Match for your location
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A hardy perennial herb with aromatic foliage and small lavender-pink or white flowers that attract cats and bees. Once established, it tolerates poor soil and drought, making it a low-maintenance garden plant.
Why grow it
Catnip is a reliable alternative to more finicky culinary mints, thriving in poor soils where other herbs demand fertility and consistent moisture. Its dual appeal to cats and pollinators makes it useful for mixed herb and wildlife plantings where a single species can serve multiple functions. Once established, it requires little fertilizer or supplemental watering, distinguishing it from mint relatives that often need management to contain spread.
Watch out for
Catnip can self-seed prolifically in favorable conditions, so deadheading spent flowers will help prevent unwanted seedlings in nearby beds. Plants may become woody and sparse after several seasons and benefit from periodic division or rejuvenation pruning to maintain bushy form.
Overview
- Form
- Growth Rate
- Size
- Dormancy
- Family
- Lamiaceae
Native Range
Southern Europe and Western Asia
Seasonality
Bloom Season
Harvest Season
Edible Parts
Season of Interest
Ground cover
Low spreading plants that carpet the soil.
Succession Role
Tolerances & Soil
Establishment & Care
- Establishment
- Maintenance
- Years to Bearing
- Propagation
A hardy perennial herb with aromatic foliage and small lavender-pink or white flowers that attract cats and bees. Once established, it tolerates poor soil and drought, making it a low-maintenance garden plant.
Climate Match for your location
See how well Catnip grows in your area.
Enter your ZIP code and we'll show you how this plant fits your local climate.
Why grow it
Catnip is a reliable alternative to more finicky culinary mints, thriving in poor soils where other herbs demand fertility and consistent moisture. Its dual appeal to cats and pollinators makes it useful for mixed herb and wildlife plantings where a single species can serve multiple functions. Once established, it requires little fertilizer or supplemental watering, distinguishing it from mint relatives that often need management to contain spread.
Watch out for
Catnip can self-seed prolifically in favorable conditions, so deadheading spent flowers will help prevent unwanted seedlings in nearby beds. Plants may become woody and sparse after several seasons and benefit from periodic division or rejuvenation pruning to maintain bushy form.
Overview
- Form
- Growth Rate
- Size
- Dormancy
- Family
- Lamiaceae
Native Range
Southern Europe and Western Asia
Seasonality
Bloom Season
Harvest Season
Edible Parts
Season of Interest
Ground cover
Low spreading plants that carpet the soil.
Succession Role
Tolerances & Soil
Establishment & Care
- Establishment
- Maintenance
- Years to Bearing
- Propagation
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