Catmint 'Walker's Low' vs English lavender 'Hidcote'
Catmint is the lavender for gardens where lavender sulks: heavy soil, wet winters, cold. In a border it does the same job, a haze of blue over grey-green, and it flowers for longer, especially if it is sheared after the first flush. Lavender is the one for scent and for a neat, clipped edge that keeps its shape in winter, when catmint has died down.
 Catmint 'Walker's Low'Nepeta x faassenii |  English lavender 'Hidcote'Lavandula angustifolia 'Hidcote' | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 24 in tall, 2½ ft wide | 18 in tall, 18 in wide |
| Plant | 24 in apart | 18 in apart |
| Zones | 4 to 8 | 5 to 8 |
| Light | Full sun | Full sun |
| Soil | Dry and sharply drained, lean fertility | Dry and sharply drained, lean fertility |
| Flowers | Mid May to mid September; lavender | Late June to late July; purple |
| Leaves | Fine, herbaceous | Fine, evergreen |
| Job in a bed | Edging | Edging |
| Pets | No toxicity recorded | Toxic (mild) |
| Deer | No record | Not listed as resistant |
| Native | No | No |
| Spread | Low risk | Low risk |
Rows where they differ are marked. Flowering times are for zone 5.
Which to choose
- Choose catmint 'Walker's Low' for colder gardens (to zone 4), a garden with pets and a longer show (18 weeks of flower against 6).
- Choose English lavender 'Hidcote' for dry summers, leaves in winter and more wildlife.
Can they grow together?
Yes: they are recorded as partners. Beside catmint 'Walker's Low', English lavender 'Hidcote' is in flower together for six weeks, from late June; a low mound at the foot of its spires; happy in the same dry soil. They share full sun and zones 5 to 8.
Read more: all about catmint 'Walker's Low', and all about English lavender 'Hidcote', each with a bed the planner designed around it.