Catmint 'Walker's Low'
Nepeta x faassenii · Lamiaceae Popular
A tough, drought-tolerant mound of soft grey-green leaves and lavender-blue flowers that bees love. Shearing it back after the first flush encourages a second round of bloom.
- Size
- 24 in tall, 2½ ft wide
- Zones
- 4 to 8
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Mid May to mid September
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Edging
A bed built around catmint 'Walker's Low'
The planner designed this bed around catmint 'Walker's Low' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) cottage garden in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 715 that suit those conditions and its dry soil, and says below why catmint 'Walker's Low' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Catmint 'Walker's Low' × 1, lavender
- 2 Winter heath × 7, pink
- 3 Sedum 'Lidakense' × 11, pink
- 4 Italian bugloss 'Dropmore' × 8, blue
- 5 Little bluestem × 3, blue-green leaves
- 6 Fernleaf peony × 1, red
- 7 Ornamental onion 'Purple Sensation' × 4, purple
- 8 Schubert's allium × 3, pink
Why this plant
- A classic partner for fernleaf peony, ornamental onion 'Purple Sensation' and Schubert's allium. All are on this plan. A pairing gardeners have proved outranks a general rule.
- The only spires. The others are bells, dense clusters, airy sprays and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- The only lavender.
Why here
- In the middle. At 24 in it is the step between winter heath (10 in) in front and Italian bugloss 'Dropmore' (4 ft) behind: each is seen over the one before.
- One plant. Three or more is usual for a plant of this kind, and reads better.
- Beside fernleaf peony, Schubert's allium and ornamental onion 'Purple Sensation'. Recognised partners: the planner puts such plants together where it can.
Why now
- In flower for 18 weeks. From mid May to mid September.
- Fills a gap. For five of those weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as a cottage garden: 31 of the 31 plants (100%), bulbs aside, stand alone or in groups of no more than five, small enough for the kinds to mingle. Something is in flower for 36 weeks, from late January to early October. Pink runs through the planting: 3 of the 7 kinds grown for their flowers have it.
The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 4 Good, 2 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where catmint 'Walker's Low' goes in a border
At 24 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium short (18 to 24 in).
Its job: edging. A low, neat plant used in short runs of three or five along the front to finish the edge (or, in a formal bed, in one even row).
A haze of lavender-blue that softens a hard edge and flowers for months. Its cool colour and fine texture sit comfortably with almost anything, which makes it a good plant to repeat. Shear it back by half after the first flush for a second.
- Soft edging along a path
- Around the bare stems of roses and shrubs
- Long-flowering filler for hot, dry spots
What to plant with catmint 'Walker's Low'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Peony: in flower together for four weeks, from late May; a low mound at the foot of its spires.
- Purple coneflower: in flower together for 11 weeks, from late June.
- Sedum 'Autumn Joy': in flower together for five weeks, from mid August; bold leaves against its fine ones; happy in the same dry soil.
Choosing between it and a look-alike? Catmint 'Walker's Low' vs English lavender 'Hidcote', Catmint 'Walker's Low' vs Meadow sage 'Caradonna' and Cranesbill 'Rozanne' vs Catmint 'Walker's Low'.
Questions about catmint 'Walker's Low'
Does catmint 'Walker's Low' need sun or shade?
Catmint 'Walker's Low' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).
It wants dry, sharply drained soil, on the lean side, with no feeding, and little watering once settled.
What zones does catmint 'Walker's Low' grow in?
USDA zones 4 to 8. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does catmint 'Walker's Low' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid May to mid September. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 4 | Late May to mid September |
|---|---|
| Zone 5 | Mid May to mid September |
| Zone 6 | Early May to mid September |
| Zone 7 | Early May to mid September |
| Zone 8 | Late April to mid September |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should catmint 'Walker's Low' be planted?
24 in (60 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 2½ ft (75 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 24 in (60 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many catmint 'Walker's Low' plants do I need?
At 24 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 3 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 6 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 10 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as runs of three or five along the front (or one even row, in a formal bed).
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is catmint 'Walker's Low' poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension. Not considered poisonous. Cats are attracted to it and may roll on and flatten the plant.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
What flowers after catmint 'Walker's Low'?
Catmint 'Walker's Low' is over by mid September. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Garden chrysanthemum: from mid September to late October, 24 in tall.
- October daphne: from mid September to late October, 8 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Meadow saffron: from mid September to mid October, 6 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does catmint 'Walker's Low' look like in winter?
Catmint 'Walker's Low' dies down to the ground and there is nothing to see until spring. The old stems can be cut in autumn, or left until spring as shelter for overwintering insects.
More Nepeta
- Catmint 'Cat's Meow' Nepeta x faassenii 'Cat's Meow'
- Catmint 'Junior Walker' Nepeta x faassenii 'Junior Walker'
- Catmint 'Purrsian Blue' Nepeta x faassenii 'Purrsian Blue'
- Catmint 'Six Hills Giant' Nepeta 'Six Hills Giant'
- Catnip Nepeta cataria
- Japanese catmint Nepeta subsessilis
In these guides
- Pet-safe plants for a sunny border
- Plants with spires: vertical accents
- Long-flowering plants: 12 weeks or more
- Silver and grey-leaved plants
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 24 in (60 cm) tall, 2½ ft (75 cm) wide
- Plant
- 24 in (60 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium short (18 to 24 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Mid May to mid September; upright spires; lavender
- Leaves
- Fine texture, herbaceous; grey-green
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 8
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Lean, dry and sharply drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Lamiaceae
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.