The Catnip, 'Nepeta cataria', is a plant that will allow you to enjoy a cup of catnip tea while watching your cats frolic in a patch of this fragrant, attractive plant. The tea is very pleasant and has a lemon-mint flavor and fragrance. Along with fresh catnip planted in pots indoors, fresh catnip toys will provide your cats with hours of fun. The tubular flowers are 1/4 to 1/2 inches wide and are massed on spikes. They bloom heavily in early to mid-summer with scattered blooming through early fall.
Catnip is very hardy and will grow in almost any soil. Catnip prefers full sun and will thrive in hot spots. Cut back the stems and blooms after the first flush of flowers to encourage additional fall flowers. Plant in early spring, 3 to 4 weeks before the last average frost date or 2 months before first fall frost. Catnip is used for very informal perennial beds, dried for cat toys, or tea.