🐱 Walker’s Low Catmint

What it looks like

Why this variety

Walker’s Low is the catmint that made catmint famous: a billowing mound, 2 to 3 feet tall and wide, covered in lavender-blue flower spikes from late spring into summer, and again after shearing, over aromatic gray-green foliage that smells faintly of mint and sage. It was named the Perennial Plant of the Year in 2007, and it earned it by being nearly indestructible — drought-tolerant once established, deer- and rabbit-resistant, beloved by bees and butterflies, and happy in lean soil where fussier perennials sulk.

The trade-off is its name: ‘Walker’s Low’ is not low. It was named for a garden in England, not for its height, and it will sprawl to 3 feet wide and flop open in the middle if you plant it in rich, wet soil or deep shade. Give it sun, sharp drainage, and lean soil, shear it back by half after the first flush, and it will rebloom and stay tidy. Plant it at a path edge and expect cats to roll in it — the nepetalactone that drives cats wild is in the foliage, and a catmint in a cat neighborhood is a cat magnet.

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. Walker’s Low 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 — it wants sun, drainage, and a cooler winter rest than South Florida offers. In North Florida it performs well as a long-blooming perennial; in Central Florida, give it sun, sharp drainage or a raised bed, shear after bloom, and treat it as a glorious warm-season perennial that may need replacing after a wet summer. In wet soil it rots, so drainage is the whole game.

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 18-24 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

Walker’s Low is the catmint that made catmint famous: a billowing mound, 2 to 3 feet tall and wide, covered in lavender-blue flower spikes from late spring into summer, and again after shearing, over aromatic gray-green foliage — named the Perennial Plant of the Year in 2007 for being nearly indestructible. There is no seed to save: Walker’s Low is a sterile hybrid of Nepeta racemosa and Nepeta nepetella, and as the University of Wisconsin Extension puts it, it “is sterile and therefore will not set seed.” Propagate it by division in spring or by softwood cuttings taken in summer, which root in about four weeks — the only ways to keep this exact plant. The full method is in the Propagation section of the Catmint guide.