Catmint Companion Plants: Tips On Planting Next To Catmint Herbs

If your cats love catnip but you find it a bit drab in the garden, try growing the gorgeous blooming perennial catmint. While the cats may find the catmint irresistible, other nibblers such as deer and rabbits avoid it. What about catmint companion plants? With its lovely blue hues, companions for catmint aren’t hard to find and planting next to catmint is a sure way to accent other perennials. Read on to learn about catmint plant companions in the garden.

About Catmint Companion Plants

Catmint (Nepeta) is an herbaceous perennial from the mint family and, like other members of this family, has aromatic leaves. It is often confused with catnip and is, indeed, closely related, but where catnip is grown for its highly aromatic herbal properties, catmint is prized for its ornamental qualities. While there are a number of excellent catmint companion plants, the combination of roses and catmint stands out. Planting roses next to catmint not only looks beautiful but has the added benefit of covering up the bare stems of the rose while at the same time repelling detrimental insects and encouraging beneficial ones.

Additional Companions for Catmint

Catmint’s blue flowers combine beautifully with other perennials that enjoy the same growing conditions such as:

• European Sage/Southernwood
• Salvia
• Jupiter’s Beard
• Yarrow
• Lamb’s Ear
• Poppy Mallow/Winecups

There are plenty of other combinations of plants that work with catmint too. Try growing catmint plant companions such as verbena, agastache, lavender, and tufted hairgrass together. Plant a striking border of catmint along with irises and Siberian spurge, or accent the aforementioned rose and catmint combo with a pop of color from yarrow. Likewise, combine yarrow and catmint with agastache and foxtail lilies for long-lasting blooms and ease of maintenance. Spring irises combine beautifully with catmint, allium, phlox, and white flower lace. For a different texture, combine perennial grasses with catmint. Dahlias, catmint, and sneezeweed give long-lasting brilliant blooms through early fall. Black-eyed Susan, daylily, and coneflower all look gorgeous with the addition of catmint. There are really no ends to the planting combinations with catmint. Just remember to combine like-minded plants. Those that share similar conditions as catmint, enjoy full sun and average garden soil with moderate to little water, and are hardy to your region.