PlantFiles: Faassen's Catmint, Ornamental Catmint Nepeta x faassenii 'Walker's Low'
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Hardiness: USDA Zone 3a: to -39.9 °C (-40 °F) USDA Zone 3b: to -37.2 °C (-35 °F) USDA Zone 4a: to -34.4 °C (-30 °F) USDA Zone 4b: to -31.6 °C (-25 °F) USDA Zone 5a: to -28.8 °C (-20 °F) USDA Zone 5b: to -26.1 °C (-15 °F) USDA Zone 6a: to -23.3 °C (-10 °F) USDA Zone 6b: to -20.5 °C (-5 °F) USDA Zone 7a: to -17.7 °C (0 °F) USDA Zone 7b: to -14.9 °C (5 °F) USDA Zone 8a: to -12.2 °C (10 °F) USDA Zone 8b: to -9.4 °C (15 °F)
Sun Exposure: Full Sun Sun to Partial Shade
Danger: N/A
Bloom Color: Blue-Violet
Bloom Time: Late Spring/Early Summer Mid Summer Late Summer/Early Fall Mid Fall
Foliage: Grown for foliage Herbaceous Aromatic Velvet/Fuzzy-Textured
Other details: This plant is attractive to bees, butterflies and/or birds Flowers are fragrant Average Water Needs; Water regularly; do not overwater
Soil pH requirements: 6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic) 6.6 to 7.5 (neutral) 7.6 to 7.8 (mildly alkaline)
I purchase 9 Nepeta Walker's low and I planted them on Saturday. Unfortunately, the plants are laying on the ground. They are not in an upright position. Is this normal? If so, when should I expect them to become upright? Thanks fellow gardeners.
On Jun 14, 2011, gardenercarrie from Norton, MA wrote:
I had grown "Six Giant Hills" in the past and loved them. I decided to give "Walker's Low" a try, figurung that it would be a smaller version, more or less. I planted them last spring and they got HUGE! They are at least five feet in diameter! so now I have a spacing issue at hand, since I planted other plants too close. Bees are at them constantly! I absolutely love this plant- every garden should have some catmint!!
On May 17, 2011, cntryrocks from Princeton, KS wrote:
Very pretty plant. Give plenty of room to grow. Mine got HUGE and it didn't take long! In my experience, this is a good filler plant since it compliments just about everything. It ties my, "I like to buy whatever I like," gardening beds together.
Grows wonderfully here in Atlanta. Mounds of blue flowers for weeks on end. The ones cut back over the winter are more dense than those left free to flower from last years growth. Just put nine plants in my front garden last fall. Another I have had in my back garden in full sun for at least 4 years rarely watered.
On Sep 12, 2010, RxAngel from Stratford, TX (Zone 6b) wrote:
I bought this on sale and on a whim when I was out shopping with my Mom. It is a pretty plant, with dark green leaves and a tiny purple flower that blooms in bunches. The flowers remind me of a tiny orchid, and the purple speckles make me wish the flowers were bigger. The smell is wonderful, and the fragrance will release even with the wind blowing it around. My cats, even my catnip-freak junkie, do not seem to notice or bother this plant, even after I cut it back.
I plopped it down in part shade, where it receives the morning sun. It just kinda sat and existed until the heat and dry of August, and then the thing took over the little flower bed almost overnight! It hasn't bloomed much, but I am sure it is because it hasn't received enough direct sun. Anything that loves hot and dry is a must where I live!
I will be looking for more of this to plant next year, and will also try to root some and over-winter it this year. Because of the lovely fragrance, I am also in the process of drying the cuttings (from hacking it back into shape) and am going to make catmint sachets out of them, and if I have some left, I might experiment with stuffed cat-toys.
On Jun 24, 2009, suzq232 from The Colony, TX (Zone 8a) wrote:
This is my second season growing Catmint and it's easy to care for and looks good. In my yard the plants in full sun all day are hardier than the ones in partial sun-the difference in growth is very clear. Flower spikes attract bees, moths, butterflies and cats. I'll be cutting back soon to see if it re-blooms; I didn't cut back last year until winter. I love this plant!
On Jun 10, 2009, Black_Eyed_Susy from (Zone 5a) wrote:
This blooms all summer long on the south side of my house and I love the color. Two bumblebees work this plant from sunup to sundown. I have noticed on two occassions goldfinches gathering in this plant. They fly away as soon as I open the front door, so I am not sure what they are up to. I have never heard of this plant being attractive to finches. I would love to know if anyone else has experienced this. My cats like to hide and lounge in the shade underneath this plant. I'm not sure if they like the scent or just the cover.
This plant is bullet proof and thrives on neglect! From a 4" pot it will grow to a 2' high by 3' diameter in one season. Cut it to the ground each spring and stand back.
On May 21, 2009, Levdrakon from Colorado Springs, CO (Zone 5a) wrote:
I started mine from purchased seed. It bloomed later in the season its first year, but this year it was just about the first thing to pop up and bloom, late March or early April. It survived the winter above ground in a pot just fine, and spring freezes and snow didn't seem to slow it down much.
Since I started it from seed, and have found a few little seedlings here and there from last year's plant, I don't know what to make of the claim it doesn't produce viable seed.
On May 6, 2009, DenaBolton from Johnson City, TN wrote:
I have been growing this particular catmint for a number of years, and it is one of my favorites. It is extremely hardy in my Zone 6, and one of the first plants to bloom in the early spring. I have found that cats do not normally eat this particular plant; however, they do love the scent. If you ever notice a large depression in the middle of your catmint, then you probably have a cat that is laying in the middle of it. A neighbor's cat used to love to lay under my catmint and just smell it. By the way, this catmint will repel rodents and is also a great companion plant for roses.
On Apr 21, 2009, oldcountryrose from Edmond, OK wrote:
This is a most dependable plant. Blooms non-stop all summer, not bothered by heat and humidity, and is a first-rate favorite with butterflies, honey bees, bumble bees, hummers and giant moths. There is always something buzzing around my Walkers' Low. It does spread but not invasively and always looks neat if you shear off spent flowers for a new burst of color a little later. Is one of the first things to green up and bloom in the spring and mine (located on south side of house in full sun) were not even nipped when temps dipped to 22 degrees in early April this year.
On Aug 23, 2008, janesdtr from Pittsburgh, PA (Zone 5b) wrote:
Beautiful and reliable bloomer from April to October. As for sterile seeds, I had a few nice nepeta seedlings this year that I will move elsewhere in the garden. Plants with sterile seed are never 100% sterile - they range from 93% - 99% sterile, so you may find a seedling or two in the spring.
I have been growing this plant for four years. It is one of my favorites. For me, this plant grows 18" high x 36" wide. It blooms from late May until early July. By that time, it has begun to flop open a bit. I cut it back by half and get a second, lighter bloom from August until the beginning of October. On rare occasions it has self sown, but the seedlings never amount to much. I have had good luck propagating this plant by division. The Perennial Plant Association has named Nepeta 'Walker's Low' Perennial Plant of the Year for 2007.
On Jun 13, 2006, JenniferE from Lebanon, PA (Zone 6a) wrote:
I love the fragrance and long bloom time of this plant. But it does get rather long and floppy after being in for a few years. Some of my plants are taking up a good bit more space than I had originally expected. Putting in a grid support early on has helped though.
On Jun 5, 2005, ownedbycats from Southern, NH (Zone 5b) wrote:
This is a nice compact (for Catmint) plant that does not flop as much as some Catmints. Very nice foliage, and blooms for a long time. The neighbor's cats like this almost as much as traditional catnip, but they don't cause any permanent damage.
On Aug 1, 2004, tjsangel003 from Warren, OH wrote:
I just planted this, so I wouldnt know if it's a success or not. Is it true cats are very attracted to this plant, the same as catnip? If so I'm in trouble!!
On Jun 10, 2002, talinum from Kearney, NE (Zone 5a) wrote:
This is a compact mounded plant with gray-green foliage. The flowers are lavender-blue and bloom April through fall. I really like this plant. I started several plants from soft wood cuttings last year. It was easy to propagate and seems to be very hardy.
Regional...
This plant has been said to grow in the following regions:
Alabaster, Alabama Juneau, Alaska Lake Wildwood, California Long Beach, California Redwood City, California San Jose, California Erie, Colorado Security-widefield, Colorado Wilton, Connecticut Delaware City, Delaware Dewey Beach, Delaware Gainesville, Florida Spring Hill, Florida Blakely, Georgia Dunwoody, Georgia Marietta, Georgia North Decatur, Georgia Viola, Idaho Bloomington, Illinois Effingham, Illinois La Grange Park, Illinois Mount Prospect, Illinois Spring Grove, Illinois Waukegan, Illinois Ames, Iowa Bloomfield, Iowa Johnston, Iowa Lawler, Iowa Sioux Center, Iowa Princeton, Kansas Rolla, Kansas Barbourville, Kentucky Smiths Grove, Kentucky Bowerbank, Maine North Chelmsford, Massachusetts Norton, Massachusetts (2 reports) Uxbridge, Massachusetts Caledonia, Michigan Harvey, Michigan Menominee, Michigan Arden Hills, Minnesota Ely, Minnesota Geneva, Minnesota St Paul, Minnesota Woodland, Minnesota Clinton, Mississippi Florence, Mississippi Kansas City, Missouri Walnut Grove, Missouri Sandown, New Hampshire Ocean View, New Jersey Albuquerque, New Mexico La Luz, New Mexico Bridgehampton, New York Elba, New York Levittown, New York Pittsford, New York Holly Ridge, North Carolina Marshall, North Carolina Weaverville, North Carolina Blue Ash, Ohio Columbus, Ohio Edmond, Oklahoma Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Chiloquin, Oregon Deschutes River Woods, Oregon Ardmore, Pennsylvania East Norriton, Pennsylvania Lebanon, Pennsylvania Nether Providence Township, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (2 reports) West Goshen, Pennsylvania Centerville, South Carolina Aberdeen, South Dakota Johnson City, Tennessee Knoxville, Tennessee Belton, Texas Brenham, Texas Dallas, Texas Garland, Texas Gordonville, Texas Hebron, Texas Hereford, Texas Mckinney, Texas Princeton, Texas Spring, Texas Arlington, Virginia Leesburg, Virginia Manassas, Virginia Mc Lean, Virginia Stuarts Draft, Virginia Wytheville, Virginia Camano, Washington Dishman, Washington Kalama, Washington Seattle, Washington Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin Madison, Wisconsin Tripoli, Wisconsin Johnstown, Wyoming Riverton, Wyoming