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 well-established companion pairings, and nothing it needs to be kept away from. 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.
Mature height: 1-1.5 ft
Method: Start indoors: Start indoors from seed, then transplant outside. It needs a head start most zones can't give it by direct-sowing alone.
When to plant catmint, by zone
Every zone catmint grows in. Pick your zone in the header and it will be highlighted here. Each zone links to its full page.
| Zone | Start indoors | Sow or plant out | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4a & 4b | Mar 27–Apr 3 | May 22–May 29 | Aug 10–Aug 17 |
| 5a & 5b | Mar 22–Mar 29 | May 17–May 24 | Aug 5–Aug 12 |
| 6a & 6b | Mar 7–Mar 14 | May 2–May 9 | Jul 21–Jul 28 |
| 7a & 7b | Feb 20–Feb 27 | Apr 17–Apr 24 | Jul 6–Jul 13 |
| 8a & 8b | Feb 4–Feb 11 | Apr 1–Apr 8 | Jun 20–Jun 27 |
Harvest dates are about 80 days after the sow or plant-out date, not after starting seeds indoors.
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)
Why each variety is listed comes from the source shown next to it. We haven't grown these ourselves yet, so treat this as a research-backed starting point, not a personal endorsement. The buy links are separate from those sources: they go to seed suppliers that sell that exact variety, and we may earn a commission on some of them.
Where to buy catmint seeds
None of the seed suppliers we list carries catmint seeds right now. A local garden center or a specialty seed house is the place to look.
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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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