Walker's Low Catmint

Walker's Low Catmint (Nepeta x faassenii 'Walker's Low')

Walker's Low Catmint (Nepeta x faassenii 'Walker's Low') is a classic sun-loving perennial grown for its aromatic gray-green foliage and its long season of lavender-blue flowers that create a soft, flowing look in borders. It forms a wide, mounding clump that blooms heavily from late spring into summer, and with a quick trim after the first flush, it often reblooms and keeps color going well into the warm season. The fine texture makes it a natural companion to roses, salvias, coneflowers, and ornamental grasses, helping tie mixed plantings together with an easy, cohesive feel. With its bloom power and dependable performance, Walker's Low Catmint makes an excellent focal point when planted in repeating drifts that create a long ribbon of blue.

Distinctive Features

The standout feature is the combination of long bloom and soft, silvery foliage, which keeps the plant attractive even when it is between flower cycles. Leaves are lightly fuzzy, aromatic, and gray-green, adding calm texture and a clean color that blends well with nearly any palette. Flower spikes rise above the foliage and are highly attractive to pollinators, keeping beds active throughout the blooming window. Walker's Low performs best in well-drained soil, and it typically looks its best when sheared back after the first heavy flush to refresh foliage and promote repeat flowering.

Growing Conditions

• Sun: Full sun is best; tolerates light shade but flowering is usually stronger with more sun.
• Soil: Well-drained soil; performs best in average to lean soils and does not like wet feet.
• Water: Moderate; water regularly during establishment, then water during extended dry spells.
• USDA Hardiness Zones: 4 to 8.
• Habit: Mounding perennial with airy flower spikes.
• Mature Size: About 18 to 24 inches tall and 24 to 36 inches wide.

Ideal Uses

• Focal Point: Use as a broad, flowing blue accent that draws the eye through sunny borders.
• Mass Planting: Plant in drifts for a sweeping haze of lavender-blue color and soft texture.
• Border Edging: Use along paths and bed edges where the wide mound can soften hard lines.
• Pollinator Plantings: Supports bees and beneficial insects during a long flowering season.
• Companion Planting: Pairs well with roses, salvias, echinacea, rudbeckia, and ornamental grasses for an easy, cohesive look.

Low Maintenance Care

• Watering: Keep evenly watered during the first growing season; after that, water only during prolonged drought.
• Shearing: Trim back after the first heavy bloom to refresh foliage and encourage repeat flowering.
• Soil Management: Avoid rich, constantly wet soils, which can reduce flowering and cause decline.
• Fertilizing: Usually not needed; a light spring feeding is enough in poor soils.
• Spacing: Give plants room to spread so the mound can develop naturally without crowding neighbors.
• Dividing: Divide every few years if clumps become woody or less vigorous.

Why Choose Walker's Low Catmint?

• Long Bloom Season: Heavy late spring bloom with strong potential for repeat flowering after shearing.
• Classic Border Performer: A widely used catmint for dependable color, texture, and easy design pairing.
• Aromatic Foliage: Soft, gray-green leaves add fragrance and a clean, silvery look in mixed beds.
• Pollinator Support: Flowers attract bees and other beneficial insects through the season.
• Strong Focal Point Value: Creates a broad ribbon of lavender-blue color that ties sunny borders together.

If you want a proven catmint that blooms for a long season and blends beautifully with other sun perennials, Walker's Low Catmint adds focal point color, soft texture, and reliable performance in sunny, well-drained beds.