Herb
Catnip
Catnip (Nepeta cataria) is a fragrant, frost-hardy perennial herb that grows 24 to 36 inches tall in upright clumps, thriving across USDA zones 3 through 7. This greenish-gray aromatic herb produces showy, delicate flowers from May through September that range from white to purple or pink, attracting butterflies and pollinators throughout the growing season. Harvest leaves at around 80 to 89 days for drying, brewing into a soothing mint-like tea, or offering as a stimulant to cats. Its legendary power lies in nepetalactone, the volatile compound that sends felines into euphoric states. With minimal maintenance, drought tolerance, and the ability to thrive in poor soils and urban conditions, catnip rewards even neglectful gardeners with reliable growth and prolific self-seeding.
Photo © True Leaf Market
Growing Conditions
USDA Zone
3-7
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Soil
Well-drained, Moderately Fertile Loam
Growth Stats
36 in
Height
12 in
Width
TypeUpright
Spacing
18
Plant Profile
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Zones
3-7
Size
36in H x 12in W
Growth
—
Care
Low
Hover over chart points for details
Highlights
Catnip's true magic lies not just in its effect on cats but in its resilience as a garden plant. This heirloom perennial laughs at drought, poor soil, and urban pollution while producing months of fragrant blooms that butterflies cannot resist. Once established, it requires almost no supplementary water, shears cleanly after initial flowering to encourage continued bloom, and spreads readily through self-seeding, naturalizing into fields and waste areas across temperate regions. The dried leaves deliver a mint-like fragrance and a gentle herbal tea, while the whole plant is genuinely attractive in the garden with its aromatic grayish foliage and delicate bilabiate flowers.
Common Uses
Catnip serves dual purposes in the home and garden. The dried leaves brew into a mild herbal tea with a mint-like character, traditionally sipped for relaxation and their gentle herbal properties. Fresh or dried, the herb becomes an irresistible gift for house cats, triggering playful behavior and contentment. Gardeners also grow it to naturalize in fields and wild areas, where its ability to self-seed means it establishes permanent patches with minimal intervention. The plant itself, with its fragrant foliage and abundant flowers, enriches gardens by attracting butterflies and other pollinators throughout the growing season.
Growing Timeline
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Care Instructions
Start Indoors
Start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks (or up to 10 weeks) before your average last frost date. Keep soil at 60 to 70°F for germination. Cover with a humidity dome to retain moisture while seeds sprout, which typically occurs within 5 to 20 days. Once germination begins, remove the dome and lower the temperature to 50 to 55°F. Transplant seedlings outdoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last frost date.
Transplant Outdoors
Transplant hardened seedlings outdoors after the danger of hard frost has passed. Space plants 18 inches apart with 24 inches between rows. Catnip is frost-hardy and can tolerate light frosts, so there is flexibility in timing. Amend poor soils with an inch of compost at planting. Water moderately until plants are fully established and begin to spread.
Direct Sow
Direct sow seeds outdoors in early to mid-spring when there is still a chance for a light frost, or as late as 2 months before your average first fall frost date. Barely cover seeds (1/8 to 1/4 inch depth) as they require light to germinate. Keep soil consistently moist until seedlings emerge. Thin seedlings to one plant every 12 inches when they reach 2 inches tall.
Harvesting
Harvest catnip 80 to 89 days after sowing, or begin harvesting leaves anytime after the plant is established. For drying, cut stems just as flower buds begin to open or flowers are in full bloom, when the plant's aromatic oils are most concentrated. Hang bundles upside down in a warm, dry location with good air circulation until leaves crumble easily between your fingers, typically 1 to 2 weeks. Once dried, strip leaves from stems and store in airtight containers. Successive harvests can be taken throughout the growing season without harming the plant's vigor.
Pruning
Shear flower spikes after the initial flowering flush to encourage continued blooming through the season. This deadheading technique extends the plant's ornamental and herbal value well into fall. Beyond this, catnip requires minimal pruning; its upright growth habit naturally stays tidy. If plants become straggly in midsummer heat, a light trim promotes bushier, more compact growth.
Growing Calendar
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Companion Planting
Pests & Diseases
Ecology & Traits
Deer ResistantDrought TolerantAttracts PollinatorsEdible
Bloom Time
May To September
Attracts
Butterflies
Tolerances
DeerDroughtDry SoilShallow-rocky SoilUrban Conditions
Scientific Classification
Nepeta cataria
Family
Lamiaceae
Genus
Nepeta
Growth Habit
Upright
Native Status
L48 (I)AK (I)CAN (I)
History & Origin
“Catnip is the true Nepeta cataria, native to Europe and Asia, that has naturalized across much of the world over centuries. Its journey spans from wild patches in its native range to cultivation in gardens and fields across southern Canada, the United States, and beyond. In regions like Missouri, it has become so established that it grows wild throughout the state in fields, waste areas, open woodlands, along railroad rights-of-way, roadsides, and stream banks, a testament to its adaptive vigor. This heirloom variety represents centuries of observation: gardeners and cat lovers have treasured it for generations, saving seed and passing plants forward, recognizing in this unassuming herb a source of reliable herbal remedy and feline joy.”