How Walker's Low Nepeta Got Its Name

Genus Name

• Understanding plant names isn’t a difficult matter if you recognize the logic. Nepeta is the genus for catmints, and it includes more than 250 plants. The ancient Etruscan city Nepete, now called Nepi, is north of modern-day Rome and became the source name for catmint plants that grew prolifically throughout the region. Botanists who named plants thought Nepeta was a suitable genus name for all aromatic catmints.

Species Name

• Catmints discovered later were assigned species names. They include Nepeta nepetella, which has no common name and doesn't grow in North America but grows on the Iberian Peninsula and Northern Africa. It crossed with nepeta (Nepeta racemosa), from Caucasus and Iran and hardy in USDA zones 4 through 8, creating what later became known as "Walker’s Low." The person responsible for the hybrid cross was Dutch nurseryman J.H. Faassen.

  There really is logic for specific plant names. For example, catnip's botanical name is Nepeta cataria. That plant is hardy in USDA zones 3 through 7.

"Walker’s Low" Name and Timeline

• Nursery men and women cultivate new varieties suitable for their growing regions or that enhance desirable traits. "Walker’s Low" was named for the Irish garden where it was discovered in the 1970s. It was introduced commercially by an English nursery in 1988. In 2007, it was recognized by the Perennial Plant Association as the Perennial Plant of the Year.

Aroma and Height

• True catnip’s strong aromatic appeal is legendary among felines everywhere; however, most cats find "Walker's Low" catnip boring. Catnip varieties range in aroma quality and appeal, offering a diversity of other desirable traits. Their heights range from 8 to 56 inches and their widths from 18 to 60 inches. "Walker’s Low" catnip easily grows 1 to 3 feet tall and 1 to 3 feet wide, depending on its growing conditions and climate, and it provides an effective ground-cover.

Other Characteristics and Recognition

• Many gardeners love fragrant and colorful performances in their gardens, including those of catmints. "Walker's Low" catnip received top ratings in Chicago Botanic Gardens’ test plots. It earned points for robust flower production and habits, winter hardiness, ease-in-care and adaptability. It is a trouble-free perennial with lavender-blue flowers and gray-green foliage, and it's a prolific summer bloomer. It appeals to bees, butterflies and hummingbirds, and it requires only well-drained soil.

Plant-Naming Trivia

• Plants' common names tend to have descriptive or marketable tags. Cultivars come from plant developers who consider their newly created plants sellable. The term "cultivar" comes from the “culti” in "cultivated" and the “var” in "varieties." Cultivar names do not end with a Latin format, and so "Walker’s Low" cannot be "Walker’s Lowii."