Carolyn Aiken from Aiken house and gardens blogspot grows lots of Walker's low and she has mentioned on her blogspot that when hers gets out of control, she trims them back and they bounce right back and rebloom. Check out her blogspot if you are not familiar with it and don't drool. Her gardens are breathtaking and she and her husband do all the work themselves. He is very skilled in building garden structures. You'll be hooked on her blogspot once you see her gardens. I've been following it for about 3 or 4 yrs.

i have been growing nepeta walker's low for a number of years now. the last few years, i have been cutting it back after it's done blooming---or, nearly done. has always bounced back, no problem.

Mine is back in bloom in about 3 weeks after cutting back to stubs. This plant is very vigorous and rebounds quickly.

I trim mine back by about half at the end of June each year and it reblooms about a month later. You can cut it down to stubs without killing the plant but I don't like the appearance that gives. A lady down the street cuts hers to stubs with hedge trimmers (she has six of them edging her garden) and they look pitiful for three or four weeks after cutting. It takes me about an hour to carefully snip mine but that's my obsessive compulsive choice.

When you say cutting back to stubs, you mean cutting back most of the length of branches? Like if you have a 3 foot long branch, cutting it back to be 6 inches?

I'm pretty compulsive too, I was thinking of trimming only half the branches (like every other one), then going back later and trimming the other half. Considering how it sprawls, braches on top of branches, that won't be easy.

Usually be the time the color is mostly gone from the blooms, new basal foliage has sprouted on my Walker's Lows.
I cut all the stems back as low as I can using hedge clippers. The plants form nice neat grey green foliage mounds which will eventually get tall again and put out more blooms. Sometimes (if I'm really quick to cut them back), there will be little or no basal foliage, but it doesn't matter - they regrow just fine. I personally find the foliage mounds to be attractive during the regrowth period, and I am careful to cut the stems back very low so they do not show at all through the new foliage.

corrine, i am TAKING that Pony Tail name; exACTly how i 'whack' everything! thx so much; perfect moniker!
best,
mindy
www.cottonarboretum.com/

My Nepeta Walkers low is new in my garden this year. Early June Looks beautiful. June 12 some are just starting to lay down on the back side after a day of heavy rain but flowers are still good with some branches loosing flowers. Question, if I want flowers for July 4th holiday, should I just stake up back side or trim that area back now or should I trim all the plant back. It's only 3 weeks til the holiday.