Catwalk Queen is a low catmint whose lilac-blue blooms are over double the size of an ordinary catmint flower. Long flower panicles keep the plant in bloom for an extended stretch before it needs a trim.
Thick leaves on a stocky, sturdy frame keep it tidy at 10 to 12 inches tall. Use it to line the front of a sunny border or fill hot, dry spots where other plants struggle. Deer and rabbits leave it alone, and bees and butterflies are frequent visitors.
What it looks like
Large, tubular, two-lipped flowers in soft lilac-blue, noticeably bigger than those of most catmints, are arranged in long, open panicles along the stems. The leaves are small to medium, oval, gray-green, thick-textured and scalloped at the edges. The plant forms a stocky, low mound about 10 to 12 inches tall and 18 to 20 inches wide. At peak bloom the long flower panicles cover the mound in lilac-blue.
Growing it with lavender
Catmint is one of lavender's best partners: it wants the same full sun and lean, well-drained soil, and its lilac-blue haze blooms alongside lavender and keeps going after the lavender harvest.
Care
Plant in full sun in lean to average, well-drained soil; once established it handles dry spells with little extra water. Hardy in zones 3-8. Shear the plant back by about a third after the first big flush of bloom to tidy it and push a fresh round of flowers.
At a glance
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Botanical name: Nepeta
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Flower color: Lavender-blue
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Foliage: Gray-green
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Growth habit: Stocky, low mound
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Mature size: 10–12 in tall × 18–20 in wide
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USDA hardiness zones: 3–8
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Light: full sun
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Bloom start: Early-June
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Peak bloom: Mid-June
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Bloom pattern: Long Blooming
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Deer resistance: Resistant
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Pollinator value: Excellent
Sizes and shipping
Dormant bare-root plant, sold in boxes of 25 per variety (order in multiples of 25). Bare-root plants ship or are picked up March 1–May 31 only. They are soil-free, so they may ship to every state in that window. Dormant plants often show little or no top growth on arrival; plant or heel them in promptly.