Herb · Lamiaceae
Catnip
Nepeta cataria
Soft gray-green leaves and purple-spotted flowers rise on lean, dry soil in full sun, while the cat chases the scent.
Full sun
Every 7–14 days
59–86°F · 15–30°C
USDA 3–9
Overview
Catnip is a tough, fast-growing perennial in the mint family, built from soft gray-green leaves carried on upright, soft-stemmed growth that rounds into a full clump. Small white flowers, dotted and lined with purple, open along the stems from late spring through summer, their color running from white to a pale lavender. Native to Eurasia, the plant has spread across much of the temperate world and is hardy from zones 3 to 9.
Crush a leaf and it releases nepetalactone, the aromatic oil that gives the foliage its minty bite and tips many cats into a roll-and-rub spell. The same fragrant leaves steep into a mild herbal tea for people. In bloom the flowers draw bees and other pollinators close, while the scented foliage keeps a few garden pests at a distance.
Up close, catnip stays a soft, leafy, easy plant. It wants sun, sharp drainage, and little fuss, and rich soil only loosens the stems until they sprawl and flop. Its single quirk is how fast it seeds and spreads, so the real task is holding the gray-green mound where you want it.
Care
The short version: full sun, lean and well-drained soil, and a deep drink only once the top half of the soil has dried. Shear the soft stems after bloom, feed them little, and pen the clump in if you would rather it not self-seed across the bed.
Light
Catnip wants full sun to grow dense and to load the leaves with their strongest scent. It gets by in part shade, but in dim light the soft stems stretch leggy and floppy and the aroma thins.
Water
Once rooted in, catnip turns drought-tolerant and keeps its leaves firmer when dry than wet. Water it deeply, but only every 7 to 14 days, after the top half of the soil has dried. Soggy ground rots the roots, and a wet winter bed can kill the plant outright.
Soil
Set it in average, well-drained loamy or sandy soil, and lean ground suits it, since it takes poor, dry soil in stride. A pH from 6.0 to 7.5 is fine. The one firm need is sharp drainage at the roots.
Temperature
Catnip grows freely across a wide band, roughly 59°F to 86°F (15°C to 30°C). The crown is cold-hardy through winter in zones 3 to 9, and the foliage holds up to summer heat without wilting away.
Humidity
Plain air around 30% to 60% suits the leaves, so there is nothing to manage. Airflow counts for more, since still, crowded air lets a white powdery mildew settle across the foliage.
Feeding
The plant asks for almost no feeding, at most a light dose of balanced fertilizer or compost in spring. Push more on it and the stems turn soft and floppy while the leaf scent fades.
Pruning
Shearing the leafy stems back by one-third to one-half after the first flush of bloom drives a fresh rebloom, keeps the mound tight, and trims the self-seeding. The spent stems come right down to the ground in late fall or early spring.
Repotting
The clump wants dividing every 2 to 3 years to stay full and vigorous, and potted plants move up in spring. Roots circling the pot, smaller leaves, water rushing straight through, and a woody, hollow center all mark the time.
Size & spacing
Catnip mounds into a rounded clump about 24 to 35 inches (60 to 90 cm) tall and close to as wide. Set each plant that far apart so air slips between the leaves and powdery mildew finds no hold.
When to plant
Catnip keeps step with the spring frost, like most garden herbs. Tiny seed starts indoors in late winter, the young gray-green plants move out once the cold has passed in mid to late spring, and the purple-spotted flowers open from late spring through summer. The leaves carry their sharpest scent just as the buds form.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Sow: 6-8 weeks before the last spring frost
- Plant: After the last spring frost, in mid to late spring
- Harvest: White-to-pale-lavender, purple-spotted flowers from late spring through summer; harvest leaves just before or at flowering for peak aroma
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 3–9
Temperature: down to -40°C
Troubleshooting
Catnip rarely suffers anything serious, and most of what shows up stays cosmetic. The usual marks are crushed stems from rolling cats, stems that splay open after bloom, and small seedlings rising where none were sown. The matching entry below names the cause and the cure.
Small volunteer seedlings rising all around the clump
A scatter of tiny gray-green seedlings around the parent reveals a profuse self-seeder that also pushes short rhizomes outward into spreading colonies. Cutting or shearing the seed heads before they ripen stops the sowing, and the little volunteers slip out of loose soil with a light tug. A container pens the roots and the falling seed both, holding the spread to one spot.
Fix:
- Deadhead or shear before seed set
- Pull or hoe volunteer seedlings while young
- Grow in a container to contain spread
Stems crushed flat and the gray-green clump matted down
Soft stems snapped at the base and a tangle of pressed foliage point to cat damage. Nepetalactone pulls cats in to roll, rub, and chew, and a downpour or gust adds its own weight to the supple stems. A wire cage shelters a young or prized plant until its base hardens woody, and a few spare clumps off to the side take the rolling instead.
Fix:
- Protect young or prized plants with a wire cloche or low cage
- Plant extra clumps so cats can use some freely
- Stake or surround floppy stems for support
Leaves curled, fine-speckled, or filmed in white
Three different troubles mark the gray-green leaves in their own way. Aphids crumple and curl the soft new tips, spider mites stipple the surface with pale pinprick flecks in hot, dry air, and powdery mildew dusts a chalky white film across the foliage of crowded, still plants. A hard jet of water strips the pests off, insecticidal soap finishes the stubborn ones, and more airflow clears the white coating.
Fix:
- Hose off pests with a strong jet of water
- Apply insecticidal soap or horticultural oil for aphids and mites
- Improve spacing and airflow and remove affected foliage for mildew
Stems stretched long and splaying open after bloom
Stems that stretch tall and tip outward from a hollowed middle show the natural post-bloom decline, hastened by shade or rich soil that pushes thin, weak growth. Shearing the lank stems back by a third to a half once the first flush fades draws the plant into a tight, leafy dome again, often with a second bloom to follow. Full sun, lean soil, and sparing feeding keep the stems short and firm.
Fix:
- Shear the plant back by one-third to one-half after the first bloom
- Move container plants into full sun
- Reduce fertilizer
Toxicity
Catnip is safe all around. The leaves hold no real toxin, so cats, dogs, horses, rabbits, livestock, birds, and people can all be near them without worry. Cats meet the nepetalactone in those leaves with a harmless few minutes of euphoria, and for people the dried foliage steeps into a gentle tea.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
The scent in those gray-green leaves is the whole draw for a cat, and it stays safe. Nepetalactone sets off a brief, harmless response, so a cat rolls, rubs, licks, and shakes its head for about 10 minutes before drifting off. Only a mouthful after mouthful of leaves brings on a little passing vomiting or loose stool.
Dogs None
Dogs find nothing in the leaves to react to. Most pass the plant by, and a chewed leaf does no harm.
Horses None
A horse can crop the leafy stems without trouble. This is a mint-family herb, and no toxin hides in the foliage.
Rabbits None
Rabbits nibble the soft leaves safely in the small amounts they take. As with any fresh green, a sudden large mouthful is best avoided.
Livestock None
Cattle, goats, and sheep can browse the gray-green growth safely. The leaves hold no compound that poisons them.
Birds None
Pet and backyard birds come to no harm near catnip, and many leave the foliage alone. Nothing in the leaves can hurt them.
People None
For people, the dried leaves steep into a mild, pleasant tea, an old kitchen herb. They are safe to handle and to drink, and the green, minty scent that floors a cat barely registers on a human nose.
Smelling or eating catnip causes a temporary euphoric response in many cats (rolling, rubbing, head-shaking, drooling, vocalizing) lasting roughly 10 minutes, after which the cat loses interest; this behavioral effect is harmless, while eating very large amounts may cause mild, transient vomiting or diarrhea. The aroma is harmless to people.
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
United Kingdom
Animal PoisonLine: 01202 509000 (fee applies)
Australia
Animal Poisons Helpline: 1300 869 738
Varieties
Most gardens grow plain catnip, but one named form stands apart by its scent.
Nepeta cataria 'Citriodora'
Lemon catnip carries a sharp citrus tang threaded through the familiar minty catnip scent of its leaves.
How to propagate
Catnip multiplies easily. It rises from tiny seed, from a split clump of roots and crowns, or from a soft cutting, and it often sows its own seedlings besides.
SeedEasy
Sow indoors 6-8 weeks before the last frost, or direct sow in spring · 10-20 days to germinate; harvestable within the first season
The tiny seed is the common starting point. Sown indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost, or pressed into open ground in spring, it sends up its first gray-green seedlings in 10 to 20 days and yields pickable leaves within that first season. Once settled, the plant drops seed freely and raises its own crop of volunteers.
DivisionEasy
Spring or early fall · 2-4 weeks to re-establish
Splitting an established clump in spring or early fall pulls apart a knot of roots and leafy crowns into fresh plants. Each piece takes hold again within 2 to 4 weeks. Repeating the split every few years clears out the woody, bare middle that builds up as the clump ages.
Stem cuttingsModerate
Late spring to summer, from non-flowering shoots · 2-3 weeks to root
Soft, pliable cuttings snipped from non-flowering shoots in late spring or summer push new roots in 2 to 3 weeks when stood in a moist, well-drained mix under high humidity. The tender stems need more coddling than seed or division, which makes this the most exacting of the three.
Myths
Catnip is a dangerous, addictive drug that gets cats high.
The oil in the leaves, nepetalactone, sparks a brief behavioral response rather than a real high, and it forms no habit. The effect fades in about 10 minutes, and a cat then turns indifferent to the scent for a while before it can stir again.
Every cat goes wild for catnip.
The pull of the scent is inherited, so only about half to two-thirds of cats respond to it at all. Kittens under roughly 3 months and a fair share of adult cats sniff the leaves and feel nothing.