🐱 Cat’s Meow Catmint

What it looks like

Why this variety

Cat’s Meow is the catmint for gardeners who love Walker’s Low but not its sprawl: a compact, dense mound, 17 to 20 inches tall, covered in sky-blue flowers from early summer into fall, with the same aromatic gray-green foliage and the same bee-and-butterfly magnetism, in a package that stays neat without staking or heroic shearing. It was bred for tidiness, and it delivers — a front-of-border catmint that actually stays at the front of the border.

The trade-off is presence: Cat’s Meow will not make the big cloud that Six Hills Giant makes, and in a large border it can look a little polite. Plant it where its tidiness shines — edging a path, in a container, in a small sunny bed, or in drifts of three or five — and shear lightly after the first flush for rebloom. Cats will still roll in it, because the nepetalactone is still there, just in a smaller plant.

If you are new to choosing between cultivars, the Varieties Matter guide explains why the name after the plant matters as much as the plant itself. Cat’s Meow is a perfect example: it is not just a catmint in the abstract, it is a catmint with a specific job, a specific history, and specific strengths.

Florida honesty: catmint is a North and Central Florida trial, not a South Florida perennial, and Cat’s Meow’s compact size makes it the easiest catmint to trial in Florida — it fits a raised bed or a large container, where drainage can be controlled. In North Florida it performs as a long-blooming perennial; in Central Florida, give it sun and sharp drainage, shear after bloom, and treat it as a warm-season perennial that may need replacing after a wet summer.

How to grow

Plant in spring or fall in full sun and sharply drained, even lean soil — catmint is a sun-and-drainage plant that rots in rich, wet soil faster than it starves in poor soil. Work a little worm castings into the bed at planting, do not overfeed it, and space for air. Shear back by half after the first flush of bloom, and it will rebloom into fall. Do not plant it in shade and expect a cloud; catmint in shade is a rumor, not a plant.

Set plants 18 inches apart in soil with a pH around 6.0-7.5. Work worm castings into the bed at planting and mulch to hold moisture. A well-fed catmint plant rewards that care directly: steadier growth, better bloom, and a show that actually shows up.

Water & feeding

Water to establish, then water sparingly — catmint is drought-tolerant once established and rots in wet soil, so the watering mistake is almost always overwatering. Water at the soil line, do not mulch heavily, and feed lightly: castings at planting is usually enough, because rich soil makes floppy catmint instead of tidy catmint.

Common problems

• Flopping open in the middle — rich soil, shade, or no shearing causes sprawl; shear back by half after the first flush.
• Rot in wet soil — catmint’s killer in humid climates; plant in sharp drainage or raised beds and do not overwater.
• Cats rolling in it — nepetalactone attracts cats; plant it where a flattened catmint will not ruin a formal edge, or fence it while young.
• Powdery mildew in humid, crowded plantings — space for air, water at the soil line, and remove affected leaves.
• Short life in hot, wet summers — heat plus wet soil shortens catmint life; in warm zones, treat it as a trial in sharp drainage.

Harvest

Cut stems for small bouquets from late spring into fall, when spikes are fully colored — catmint lasts a few days in water and its lavender-blue suits loose, cottage-style arrangements. Shear back by half after the first flush for rebloom, dry a few stems for sachets (the mint-sage scent holds well), and divide congested clumps in spring or fall every few years. Cats will claim any cut stems left within reach, so dry them behind a closed door.

Saving seeds

Cat’s Meow is a named cultivar, so seed saved from it won’t come true — divide your plants instead. The Propagation section of the Catmint guide covers how the species is propagated.