Illustration
Early Bird
Nepeta 'Early Bird'
Early Bird blooms from April through September.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Early Bird
Plant it in full sun. It prefers low water. It is hardy in USDA zones 3–8. Expect it to reach about 16 in tall and 20 in wide at maturity, in roughly 2 years (not yet checked).
What was checked
Mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not, and each fact above says which. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Early Bird
Plant Early Bird in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 5, the middle of its hardy zones 3 to 8, spring means April to June and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms from April to September.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 5, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 5 in April. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Early Bird get?
16 intall5 ft 7 inan adult20 inwideSee Early Bird in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Early Bird
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Early Bird about 20 in apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Early Bird to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Early Bird's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags were checked against 7 published sources on July 30, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- Perennials.com (Heritage Perennials)height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- grownbyoverdevest.comOverdevest Nurseriesheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Societyheight, spread, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- Sooner Plant Farmheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Chicago Botanic GardenPlant Finderheight, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- greenleafnursery.comGreenleaf Nursery Companyheight, spread, hardiness zones and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolboxhardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Good to know about Early Bird
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
Safety
The ASPCA lists the close relative catnip as toxic to cats: eating a lot can cause mild vomiting or diarrhea. The ornamental catmint is regarded as safe. per ASPCA and NC State
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Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.