Meet The Lavender Dupe With Triple The Bloom Time and No Woody Stems – It’s Set To Become A Garden Classic

Is there such a thing as a lavender dupe? Of course there is! In fact, you may find that there’s a plant out there that actually does the job even better than the original.

It sounds almost sacrilegious, I know. Especially as lavender has long been one of my go-to perennials thanks to its ability to tick off all three boxes when it comes to a plant that’s fragrant, drought tolerant, and beloved by pollinators everywhere.

Still, as much as I admire it, I’ll admit it isn’t always the easiest plant to keep looking its best. Woody stems, patchy growth, and a relatively short flowering window? All of that means your borders can be left looking tired by midsummer – and, for a while, I thought replacing it with salvia was the answer. Now, though, there's a new lavender dupe contending to be named the very best... and I'm wholly and utterly obsessed.

Meet The Lavender Dupe With Triple The Bloom Time

Oh yes, I’ve become increasingly convinced that catmint (especially bold varieties like Cat's Pajamas Catmint) is the lavender dupe that deserves way more attention than it's getting. Largely because, in many ways, it delivers everything I love about lavender (soft purple-blue flowers, aromatic foliage, and masses of bees), all while flowering for significantly longer and staying lush without developing those bare, woody stems that older lavender plants are known for.

At first glance, it’s easy to mistake catmint for lavender. Both produce spikes of violet-blue flowers above silvery-green foliage, and both thrive in sunny, well-drained positions.

This means that, from a distance, they create the same hazy, romantic effect that works beautifully in cottage gardens, Mediterranean-style plantings, and wildlife borders.

The biggest difference becomes apparent as the season progresses. Because, while many lavender varieties bloom for around four to six weeks, catmint can flower repeatedly from late spring until early fall when it’s lightly sheared after its first flush. In practice, that often means enjoying blooms for three times as long as lavender, especially in regions with long growing seasons.

I also love that catmint naturally forms soft lavender-like mounds without becoming woody as it ages. Every gardener worth their salt will tell you that mature lavender can eventually develop thick stems if it isn’t pruned carefully every year, whereas catmint? Well, catmint simply gifts us fresh foliage and another wave of flowers.

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It may be a lavender dupe, but wildlife doesn't care one jot; bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects flock to the nectar-rich blooms of catmint throughout the growing season, and it provides an extended food source when many other early summer perennials have already faded.

It's also very forgiving. In fact, so long as it gets full sun and well-drained soil, it’s remarkably drought tolerant once it settles in, and rarely needs supplemental watering except during prolonged dry spells. Maintenance, too, is refreshingly simple; after the first flush of flowers begins to fade, just cut the entire plant back by around one-third and wait for another generous display of blooms.

I want it on record that I don’t think catmint replaces lavender entirely. Lavender’s unmistakable fragrance and evergreen structure still make it an invaluable garden plant, no matter what a clever lavender dupe has to say about it. Still, if your priority is continuous color, minimal maintenance, and a plant that stays fresh throughout the season without becoming woody, catmint definitely has the edge. Give it a go, I say! I doubt you will find yourself disappointed...