What's eating my garden catmint?

Garden catmint's biggest real pest threat is aphids on tender new growth, especially after hard pruning when soft flushes emerge. Spittlebugs leave frothy white blobs on stems in late spring. Cats can physically damage plants by rolling on them. The aromatic foliage keeps most other pests away.

Dense colonies on soft new shoots after pruning; leaves curl inward; honeydew makes stems sticky. Hard jet of water knocks them off; insecticidal soap spray; the flush of new growth usually outpaces light infestations without intervention.

Blobs of white frothy 'cuckoo spit' on stems in spring and early summer; nymphs feed inside the froth; damage is rarely severe. Wipe or wash off the froth with a damp cloth or water jet to expose and dislodge nymphs; no chemical treatment normally needed.

Stems crushed, leaves stripped, plants flattened by rolling cats attracted to the nepetalactone scent; young plants can be destroyed. Protect newly planted specimens with wire cloches or prickly cuttings (holly, rose prunings) around the base until stems toughen; established clumps recover well.