Catnip

Catnip: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Upright, branching perennial 50–80 cm tall and about 50 cm wide, with square stems.

Leaves

Heart-shaped to triangular, 3–7 cm, coarsely toothed, softly hairy and grey-green.

Flowers

Small lipped flowers, white with purple spots, in dense spikes at the stem tips from June to September.

Scent

Herby and minty with a hint of lemon; much stronger when you bruise the leaves.

Roots

A compact, fibrous rootstock. It does not spread underground, but it does self-seed.

Flowering: June–September · Harvest and fruit: June–September · Sowing: March–May · Plants: April–May and September · Pruning: March and July

Why grow it?

• Long flowering from June to September: a real magnet for bees and butterflies.
• Drought tolerant and undemanding: grows in almost any well-drained soil.
• Cats love it: a plant for every cat lover.
• The leaves can be used fresh or dried for herbal tea.
• After cutting back in July it flowers again until September.

Catnip: where does it grow best?

• Sun to partial shade; in full sun it flowers best and stays more compact.
• Any well-drained soil: sand, loam or clay, acid to chalky.
• Dry to moist; it dislikes wet soil in winter.
• Allow 40–50 cm between plants. Choose a spot where cats are welcome, or protect the plant.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand, loam or clay

Acidity

Not fussy

Moisture

Dry or normal

Size

0.8 m tall, 0.5 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -25 °C)

Goes well with

• Lavender: Likes the same sunny, dry spot and also attracts lots of bees.
• Oregano: Another bee plant for the herb garden, with pink flowers at the same time.
• Coneflower: Large pink flowers beside the white spikes, also in summer.
• Thyme: A low, scented edge at the front of the herb garden.
• Sage: Grey leaves and the same dry, sunny position.

Catnip: when and how to plant it?

Plant in April–May and September.

1. Sow indoors in March–April in small pots at 18–20 °C, barely covering the fine seed. Outdoors, sow where it is to grow in April–May.
2. Plant out young plants in April–May or in September.
3. Dig a hole slightly larger than the root ball; on heavy soil mix in some coarse sand.
4. Set the plant at the same depth as it was in the pot, 40–50 cm apart, and firm the soil.
5. Water well and keep the soil moist until the plant is established.
6. Protect young plants from cats with a small wire-mesh cage until they are sturdy.

Care

Watering

Rarely needed once established, only in prolonged drought. Soil that is too wet makes the roots rot.

Feeding

Not needed: on rich soil it becomes floppy and falls open.

Spent flowers

Cut the stems back after the first flush in July: this gives a second flush and prevents self-seeding.

Harvesting

Pick the leaves just before or as flowering begins, on a dry morning. Dry them in bunches in an airy, shady place and store them in a closed jar.

Cat protection

Put a wire-mesh cage or a few twigs around young plants, or plant it among sturdier plants.

Tip: Sow or plant a few more plants than you need and protect the youngest with mesh: once they are sturdy, they can cope with a cat. Cut back in July for a second flush.

Catnip: when to prune it?

Pruning months: March and July.

When: Twice a year: in July after the first flush, and in March to remove the old stems.

How:

• In July, cut the faded stems back by about half: it regrows quickly and flowers until September.
• Remove spent spikes before they set seed if you do not want seedlings.
• Leave the dead stems standing in autumn: they protect the base in winter.
• In March, cut all old stems down to just above the new shoots at the base.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed

Sow indoors in March–April or outdoors in April–May. At 18–20 °C the seed germinates in 1–3 weeks; barely cover it.

Division

In March–April or in September, split older clumps and replant them straight away.

Cuttings

In May–June take soft tip cuttings of 8 cm without flower buds and root them in moist cutting compost.

Catnip: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −25 °C.

• Hardy to about −25 °C: no protection is needed in Belgium.
• Wet soil in winter is more dangerous than frost: plant in a well-drained spot.
• Leave the old stems until March to protect the base.

Diseases and pests

• Cats: Cats lie in the plant, roll in it and bite off stems. Protect young plants with mesh; a sturdy plant usually grows back quickly.
• Powdery mildew: White powder on the leaves in dry, warm summers. Cut back affected stems and give plants space; new growth is usually healthy.
• Slugs: They eat young seedlings and shoots in spring. Only plant out sturdier plants and check in the evening.
• Root rot: The plant dies in a wet winter. Choose a well-drained spot and mix coarse sand into heavy soil.

Through the year

• March: Remove old stems. Sow indoors. Divide.
• April: Sow indoors and outdoors. Plant. Protect young plants from cats.
• May: Sow outdoors. Plant. Take cuttings.
• June: Flowering begins. Harvest leaves for tea.
• July: After the first flush, cut back by half.
• August: Second flush. Water in prolonged drought.
• September: Last flowers. Plant or divide.
• October: Leave the stems standing for winter.

Edible and useful

Leaves (June–September)

Pick the leaves and flowering tops from June, on a dry morning, just before or at the start of flowering: that is when they are most fragrant. Catnip smells and tastes fresh, of mint and lemon, with a slightly bitter edge. Use it fresh or dried for herbal tea, and a few young leaves in a salad. And, of course, for the cat. If you cut the plant back in July, new leaves grow until September.

Storing

Dry it in small bunches, upside down somewhere airy and shady, and keep the leaves in a tightly closed jar: that way they keep their scent and the cat stays away. Dried, it keeps for a year, but it slowly loses its appeal to cats.

Caution: Catnip tea is a mild herbal drink, not a medicine: drink it in moderation, and not during pregnancy or breastfeeding. For tea, use only true catnip (Nepeta cataria, with small white flowers spotted with purple), not the blue ornamental catmint in the border. Cats may sniff it and roll in it, but eating a lot of leaves can make them vomit or give them diarrhoea.

Eating and using is at your own risk: see the terms of use.

Recipes

• Catnip tea (Tea · 1 cup · 10 min)
• Catnip cushion for your cat (Other · 2 cushions · 30 min)

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Butterflies

Nectar for butterflies.

Did you know?

• Not all cats react to catnip: the sensitivity is inherited, and young kittens usually do not react yet.
• The scent is only really released when the leaves are bruised, which is why cats rub, roll and bite into the plant.
• The blue catmint in many borders is a different plant (Nepeta × faassenii). True catnip has white flowers and attracts cats much more strongly.