Mature size & growth rate

How big does Nepeta 'Walker's Low' (Nepeta × faassenii 'Walker's Low') get?

Also called Walker's Low catmint.

More about nepeta 'walker's low'

About Nepeta 'Walker's Low'

Nepeta × faassenii 'Walker's Low' · also called Walker's Low catmint · flowering

A billowing, aromatic catmint smothered in lavender-blue flowers from late spring into autumn above soft grey-green foliage. Despite its name it is fairly tall and arching, forming a haze that bees and butterflies adore. Exceptionally tough, drought-tolerant, and deer-resistant, 'Walker's Low' rebounds vigorously after a hard shear and shines as a rose companion and border edger.

Mature size: About 60-75 cm tall and 60-90 cm wide.

Watch for — Flopping and splaying: Common after the first flush or in rich soil; shear the plant back hard by half to trigger fresh, compact regrowth and a second bloom.

Indoor size vs how big it gets in the wild

Nepeta 'Walker's Low' stays fairly low but widens over time — it spreads into a bigger clump by offsets, runners or rhizomes rather than shooting upward. Indoors and in a pot, expect about 60-75 cm tall and 60-90 cm wide.. A pot, your light levels and a little pruning are what set the final size in a home, far more than the plant's theoretical potential.

Size here is about width, not height: the plant builds an ever-wider clump or sends out plantlets and runners while staying relatively short.

Growth rate and years to mature

Nepeta 'Walker's Low' is a fast grower. Realistically, expect two to four years from a young plant to a room-filling specimen in good light. Its feeding profile backs this up: very light feeder. it performs best on lean soil; a thin compost topdressing in spring is enough. avoid rich feeding, which produces lax, sprawling growth.

Want this turned into the right next pot at the right moment? The pot size calculator and the nepeta 'walker's low' repotting guide cover when and how much to size up — pot size is one of the biggest levers on how fast nepeta 'walker's low' grows.

How to keep nepeta 'walker's low' smaller

You are not stuck with the maximum size. For nepeta 'walker's low' specifically, these are the levers, in order of impact:

Divide the clump every year or two — splitting nepeta 'walker's low' is the main way to control its spread and refresh it.
Remove runners, plantlets or offsets as they appear if you want it to stay a single tight clump.
Keep it slightly pot-bound; a snug pot naturally limits how wide the clump can get.

The keep-it-smaller method, step by step

Lift the whole plant. Slide nepeta 'walker's low' out of its pot in spring when the clump has filled it.
Split the clump. Tease or cut the rootball into two or more sections, each with healthy roots and growth.
Repot one division. Put a single division back in the original pot to reset it to a smaller size; pot or give away the rest.
Remove offsets as they form. Through the year, detach new runners or pups to stop it spreading again.

How to grow nepeta 'walker's low' bigger or faster

If you want it to fill the space sooner, push the conditions rather than hoping — for nepeta 'walker's low' the accelerators are:

Give it a wider pot and let the clump fill it — width is exactly how this plant gets bigger.
Good light plus regular feeding maximises offset and runner production.
Leave plantlets and offsets attached and feed through the growing season for the fastest spread.

Light is almost always the ceiling. The nepeta 'walker's low' light requirements page covers exactly how bright a spot it needs to grow at its potential instead of stalling.

When nepeta 'walker's low' outgrows the room (or the pot)

"Too big" usually arrives as one of these signs for nepeta 'walker's low':

The clump bulging over the pot rim or splitting the pot — the cue to divide, not to find a bigger room.
A dense centre that goes bare or tired while the edges keep spreading.
Runners or offsets escaping across the shelf or into neighbouring pots.

If it is the pot rather than the room, it is a repotting job, not a goodbye — see the nepeta 'walker's low' repotting guide. If you want more of this plant instead of a bigger one, the nepeta 'walker's low' propagation guide turns prunings into new plants.

Nepeta 'Walker's Low' size — frequently asked questions

How big does nepeta 'walker's low' get?

Nepeta 'Walker's Low' reaches about 60-75 cm tall and 60-90 cm wide. when grown indoors. Size here is about width, not height: the plant builds an ever-wider clump or sends out plantlets and runners while staying relatively short.

Is nepeta 'walker's low' slow or fast growing?

Nepeta 'Walker's Low' is a fast grower. Expect two to four years from a young plant to a room-filling specimen in good light. Nepeta 'Walker's Low' stays fairly low but widens over time — it spreads into a bigger clump by offsets, runners or rhizomes rather than shooting upward.

How long does nepeta 'walker's low' take to reach full size?

Roughly two to four years from a young plant to a room-filling specimen in good light. Light, pot size and feeding move that timeline more than anything else.

How do I keep nepeta 'walker's low' smaller?

Divide the clump every year or two — splitting nepeta 'walker's low' is the main way to control its spread and refresh it. Remove runners, plantlets or offsets as they appear if you want it to stay a single tight clump. Keep it slightly pot-bound; a snug pot naturally limits how wide the clump can get.

How can I make nepeta 'walker's low' grow bigger or faster?

Give it a wider pot and let the clump fill it — width is exactly how this plant gets bigger. Good light plus regular feeding maximises offset and runner production. Leave plantlets and offsets attached and feed through the growing season for the fastest spread.