Need alternative to catmint

I love the look of Walker's Low catmint but I have enough trouble with neighborhood cats.
Does anyone know what plant has similar color, blooming season, height etc. without actually growing catmint?

Not sure what catmint looks like but you might try the stepables website if you are looking for ground cover. Multiple options with many different looks. I have several types and plan to get more.

Lavender would be pretty and I think it would grow well in your neck of the woods. Also some of the salvias would look nice.

Caryopteris 'Dark Knight", a blue mist spirea. I started mine last year from a 4" container and it got to 3'. Good to zone 5. Absolutely covered in little, blue flowers. Warning though, bees love it. And it needs good drainage, so clay soils aren't so good.

I second the lavender suggestion.

I'd like to point out that catmint (Nepeta faassenii) and catnip (Nepeta cataria) are two different species of plant and that catmint does not attract cats. There are plenty of neighborhood cats that hang out in my backyard and my Walker's Low has remained untouched.

http://www.azarius.net/encyclopedia/12/Catmint/

You're right flowerjen. I should believe random websites from the Netherlands over my own personal experiences. My mistake.

So sorry, I just picked one of the MANY websites that says that it does attract cats....all the sites state that when the stems are broken it releases the aroma that attracts cats.

Oh you guys :) be nice! Here, I googled catmint/catnip and got tons of results:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepeta

I t does say that both attract cats, something about smelling like pheromones? And it also says that SOME cats are immune to it so it doesn't attract certain cats... BUT me no expert.:)

Now that's just one. I don't know if it's 100% or even 1% correct but we can always cross-check :)

Oh and yes, I think lavender is a nice replacement for it. I usually can't tell them apart at the nursery unless I get close to them!:)

happy gardnin!

I've never done any research on the subject, but I have Nepeta 'Blue Wonder' and although my neighbors' cats spend a good deal of time in my yard, they have never shown any interest in it, so you could consider giving it a try.

If you want something else that looks similar, I worry about lavender in eastern zone 5a. There aren't that many that are hardy in zone 5, and even for the ones that are hardy, in wetter climates unless they have perfect drainage it is very easy to lose them over the winter, so I think they would prove to be fairly short-lived for you. I would consider one of the spiky Veronicas or something like Salvia 'May Night' instead, those have a similar look and I think they would be better choices for your climate.

Thanks for all of your suggestions.
I know I've seen some beautiful lavender
growing in the area.

They can be grown in your area, you just have to be careful and put them in a spot that gets really good drainage if you want them to come back reliably. Catmint, Veronica, and salvia would be a little less finicky, that's why I suggested them instead

Quoted by ge1836 on the northeast forum

plantfreak, *my* own personal experience is that my cat Thor responds to catmint almost as much as he does to catnip.

My cats totally ignore the catmint. But I traded some with another gal here on DG, and she said her cats love it to the point of intoxication.

It must depend on the cat or maybe even what else is growing? I planted 4 walkers low this year and my barn cat and her kittens, and all the ferals stay out of it - however we also have a LOT of wild catnip growing around here so maybe they are all just used to the smell???

Have you seen the new dwarf Buddleia Blue Chip. I have seen only one growing in the ground and it looked great.
It has woody stems and will not flop like Nepeta and I think the color is nicer also. I believe it is hardy to zone 5.

Russian sage is pretty also http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/733/ or http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/56166/