White Catmint

White Catmint (Nepeta racemosa 'Snowflake') is the white flowered form of the classic edging perennial, and the white makes it easier to place than the usual lavender blue. It builds a soft mound of grey green aromatic foliage about 0.35m tall and 0.6m across, then covers itself in small white flowers through the warm months. It is drought tolerant, frost hardy, safe around pets and hard to kill in a sunny spot.

Why you'll love it

• White goes with everything. The usual catmint blue fights with warm schemes. This one sits happily beside apricot roses, hot pink salvia or a green and silver planting.
• Months of flower, not weeks. It blooms through the warm season, and a shear after the first flush brings on a second.
• Tough in every direction that counts. Frost hardy, heat tolerant, drought tolerant and untroubled by poor soil.
• Safe around cats and dogs. Not toxic to pets, so it can edge a path or a lawn that animals actually use.
• Feeds bees all season. A dependable, long running nectar source, and the aromatic foliage releases scent when brushed against.

Where it works best

Borders and edging. Plant 40cm apart for a continuous border. At that spacing the mounds knit into an unbroken grey green ribbon by the end of the first season.

Groundcover and mass planting. The same 40cm spacing works for covering a sunny bank or the ground between shrubs, where it suppresses weeds without ever becoming a thug.

Rockeries and pots. Sharp drainage and poor soil are what it likes, so it spills over rock and gravel better than most perennials, and trails over the rim of a trough.

Growing white catmint in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, which keeps the mound tight and the flowering heavy. In shade it stretches, opens in the middle and flowers poorly. It is at home in warm temperate, cool temperate, Mediterranean and arid or semi arid gardens, and it is genuinely frost hardy. Humid tropical and subtropical summers rot the crown.

Soil. Free draining above all else. It performs well in poor, sandy and gravelly soils that starve fussier perennials, while rich wet ground produces soft growth that collapses. On clay, use a raised bed with grit worked through.

Water and feed. Water through the first summer to establish, then only in prolonged dry spells. Feeding is largely unnecessary, and heavy fertiliser produces lush growth at the expense of flower and shape.

Pruning. One job, and it matters. Shear the plant back by a third once the first flush fades and it will bloom again. Cut it back hard at season's end to prevent a woody centre.

What to expect when it arrives

It is sold as tubestock, the sensible way to buy a perennial in quantity. A tube is a small young plant, only a few centimetres across, and it will look modest on arrival next to the mature mound in your head. That is normal, and it is why the price works for a long border.

Growth is quick once the roots move: expect full 0.6m spread and flower within the first season. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Choosing the right edging plants for a border
• Browse groundcover plants
• See plants suited to rockeries
• Compare other plants that are safe around pets

Common questions

How many plants do I need for a border?

Space them 40cm apart, so roughly two and a half plants per metre of run. That closes into a continuous edge within a season without crowding the mounds into each other.

Will it attract cats?

Some cats take an interest in nepeta and will roll in it, though this species is milder than true catnip. It is not toxic to them, so the worst outcome is a flattened patch.

Why has my plant gone open and floppy in the middle?

Too much shade, water or fertiliser, and sometimes an overdue haircut. Shear it back by a third, ease off the feeding and make sure it gets full sun.