Nepeta Cataria Maturation

About Catnip

• Nepeta cataria, also known as catnip for its intoxicating effects on wandering felines, is a perennial herb that reseeds itself and spreads by division of crowns. Seeds take two to six weeks to germinate but, once up, grow quickly. The plants bloom from May through September. Catnip bears thick masses of tiny flowers above attractive scalloped gray-green leaves. Plants grow from 24 to 36 inches tall and bush out as wide as they grow tall. Hybrid catmints developed for the garden tend to be more compact in habit, growing as short as 10 inches.

Planting

• Catnip is native throughout Europe, including the Mediterranean, as well as to southwestern and central Asia. The plants tolerate drought, rocky soil and shallow topsoil. They grow in full sun to part shade but might droop in hot sun in warmer areas, making planting locations with afternoon shade preferable to those with sun all day in those areas. Although catmint is tolerant of a variety of soils and conditions, it matures more slowly in hot drought conditions and blooms more prolifically with at least five to six hours of sunshine a day.

Growth

• Catnip begins as a seedling with its distinctive gray-green leaves. Its strong, four-sided stems branch freely, maturing in another four to six weeks. Irrigated plants grow bushier and mature more quickly, but plants typically begin blooming in late spring or early summer. Flowering plants attract butterflies and bees and reach maturity when the tall bunches of tiny florets begin to shatter and set seed, marking the plant’s maturity. When gardeners cut back branches or harvest flowering shoots, they delay maturity, often by a month or more, because the plant must again branch out and flower. The plant will continue to branch and flower each time it is cut back before going to seed. Cutting the plant back before it matures keeps the plant vital and compact -- mature plants tend to become leggy and dull-colored.

Variability

• Common catnip matures rapidly -- life in the wild depends on quick growth and reproduction. Hybrid garden varieties, such as blue catmint (Nepeta racemosa “Select Blue”) mature more slowly and flower longer, even into late October. Hybrids also grow into more compact plants, growing from 10 to 18 inches tall and wide, small enough to make attractive edging or define herb gardens. Hybrids can also be less aromatic, so they hold less attraction for neighborhood cats than the original species.