Growing Catmint: A Complete Profile
By Growing Home Greens Team · August 10, 2026
Catmint is a different species from the catnip already covered on this site, grown as an ornamental groundcover-scale perennial with soft blue-purple flower spikes rather than specifically for its effect on cats, though cats may still take an interest.
Getting it started
Transplant, sowing seed 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost, pressed into the soil and covered lightly. For fuller, bushier plants, pinch back the growing tips once seedlings reach 2 to 3 inches tall. Transplant outside in midspring, 12 to 18 inches apart, or grow in a container. Germination takes 7 to 14 days at 65-70°F. It’s hardy in zones 4-8 and grows best in part shade, though it tolerates full sun.
Harvest and reblooming
Foliage can be cut as needed throughout the season; dry the leaves for use in tea or potpourri. Deadheading spent blooms encourages sporadic reblooming through fall rather than a single spring flush.
Catmint has no recorded companions or antagonists in our data. See the full companion guide for catmint for how it’s tracked. At 1 plant per square foot, it’s a low, mounding perennial for the Garden Designer’s bed edges, tolerant of both sun and part shade.
Source: Catmint: Key Growing Information, Johnny’s Selected Seeds.
Companion planting guide for Catmint · Find your planting dates
Typically viable in USDA zones 4-8. Not sure your zone? Look it up by ZIP code.
Method: Start indoors: Start indoors from seed, then transplant outside. Catmint needs a head start most zones can't give it by direct-sowing alone.
See exact start-indoors, direct-sow, and harvest dates for your zone →
How many Catmint plants fit per square foot?
Spacing: 1 per square foot (square-foot-gardening spacing). Mature height: 1-1.5 ft.
Varieties worth considering
- Straight-species catmint (Nepeta mussinii): Johnny's Selected Seeds sells this species plain, without competing named cultivars; the soft, mounding habit and blue-purple flowers are traits of the species itself. (source)
Cited from the source shown next to each variety. We haven't grown these ourselves yet, so treat this as a research-backed starting point, not a personal endorsement.
Where to buy catmint seeds
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Some links on this page also go to other retailers we may earn a commission from as an affiliate, at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products with a genuine consensus of positive, independent reviews. See the sources cited on each item.
See it growing
Search YouTube for "growing catmint" videos → (a live search, not a hand-picked video; results vary and aren't vetted by us)
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Growing Catmint: A different species from catnip, grown as an ornamental groundcover-scale perennial with soft blue-purple flower spikes rather than for its effect on cats.
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