Mature size & growth rate

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

Also called Catmint, Garden Catmint, Faassen's Catmint.

More about catmint 'walker's low'

About Catmint 'Walker's Low'

Nepeta x faassenii · also called Catmint, Garden Catmint · flowering

A vigorous, drought-tolerant herbaceous perennial prized for its aromatic grey-green foliage and abundant lavender-blue flower spikes from late spring through summer. 'Walker's Low' is a compact, mounding cultivar that attracts pollinators and cats alike. Deadheading encourages a second flush of bloom. Not listed as toxic to pets by ASPCA.

Mature size: 45-60 cm tall, 60-90 cm wide

Watch for — Powdery mildew: Occurs in humid, poorly ventilated conditions or after midsummer. Improve air circulation, avoid wetting foliage, and cut plants back hard after the first flowering flush to promote clean new growth.

Indoor size vs how big it gets in the wild

Catmint 'Walker's Low' grows into a room-scaled plant of roughly 45-60 cm tall, 60-90 cm wide — bigger than a tabletop plant, but not a tree. Indoors and in a pot, expect 45-60 cm tall, 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.

It builds steadily in both height and spread to a medium, manageable size, filling a pot and a corner over a few years.

Growth rate and years to mature

Catmint '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: apply a balanced granular fertiliser lightly in early spring as new growth emerges. overly rich feeding produces excessive leafy growth at the expense of flowers; one light application per year is sufficient.

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

How to keep catmint 'walker's low' smaller

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

Prune the tallest or longest growth back to a node to hold catmint 'walker's low' at the size you want.
Keep it slightly pot-bound and feed sparingly to cap the overall size.
Remove the largest or oldest leaves to keep the footprint in check.

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

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

It already has good light; a yearly pot-up plus spring-summer feeding drives the fastest growth.
Pot up a size every year or two while it is establishing.
Feed and water consistently through the growing season for steady, faster size gain.

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

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

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

It crowds the shelf or corner it lives in and starts leaning for light.
Roots circling the pot base or escaping the drainage holes.
It needs a noticeably bigger pot every year — a sign to pot up, divide, or prune.

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

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

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

Catmint 'Walker's Low' reaches 45-60 cm tall, 60-90 cm wide when grown indoors. It builds steadily in both height and spread to a medium, manageable size, filling a pot and a corner over a few years.

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

Catmint 'Walker's Low' is a fast grower. Expect two to four years from a young plant to a room-filling specimen in good light. Catmint 'Walker's Low' grows into a room-scaled plant of roughly 45-60 cm tall, 60-90 cm wide — bigger than a tabletop plant, but not a tree.

How long does catmint '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 catmint 'walker's low' smaller?

Prune the tallest or longest growth back to a node to hold catmint 'walker's low' at the size you want. Keep it slightly pot-bound and feed sparingly to cap the overall size. Remove the largest or oldest leaves to keep the footprint in check.

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

It already has good light; a yearly pot-up plus spring-summer feeding drives the fastest growth. Pot up a size every year or two while it is establishing. Feed and water consistently through the growing season for steady, faster size gain.