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Insight Horizon Media

When should I prune catmint?

Author

Emma Powell

Updated on February 21, 2026

Prune catmint during or after flowering also to encourage new growth and possibly a second round of flowers. When it flowers in the spring and early summer, individually prune spent flowers to the ground, or cut the entire plant back by one-half to two-thirds after it is finished flowers. Discard the trimmings.Click to see full answer. Similarly, should you cut back catmint?Wait until early spring to cut it back. To keep catmint vigorous, divide it every three to four years in either spring or early fall. If you want to contain the overall size of the plant, pinch it back in spring after it is a few inches tall to promote a bushier growth habit.Subsequently, question is, does catmint bloom all summer? It blooms profusely in late spring and early summer. It often will stop flowering for a time in mid-summer with hot weather, only to resume again in early fall, especially if cut back vigorously. Butterflies, hummingbirds and other beneficial insects love catmint flowers. Consequently, can you cut back catmint in the summer? Snip off the top one-half to two-thirds of the catmint’s stems, using pruning shears, in midsummer after the plant has finished blooming and when it has recently been watered. Leave the faded flowering shoots on the plants after they finish blooming for the second time in late summer or early fall.Can you divide catmint?Catmint plants will continue to grow and bloom well for years. But if you’d like to divide them to make more plants, all Nepeta varieties respond well to division in the spring. Find a section of the plant with undeveloped shoots and a good root system and slice it vertically with a spade.