sure you can do that! plants in the mint family root very easily! be gentle on the planting, try not to damage any little roots and ease it into partial sun... it'll probably like afternoon shade where you live.

[bump of an old thread] - If you plant catnip outside, be prepared for the local cats to DESTROY IT! FAST! I have a catnip plant that I put in recently - first in the herb garden - my cat found it IMMEDIATELY. Then I moved it to our flower cart - 10 minutes later the cat was inside the cart trying to get to the plant! Finally, I moved it to a little homemade "shelf" that is halfway up our fence - he can't get to it, but knows it's there! It's funny to watch him sitting on top of the fence trying to work it out, or on the ground trying to jump up high enough! I decided to anchor the pot with screws - he's pretty clever and I think it will occur to him to jump from above, snagging the pot on the way down - but we're talking about a cat who opens our closed bedroom doors (the "lever handle" kind of knob) by jumping up on them to move the handle down.... he's a "mechanically inclined" cat!

RainyPNW

Here is a link that might be useful: My 2010 Garden Blog - please check it out!

My cat leaves the catnip alone unless I break off a piece and give it to him, and then he has a ball. Out in the garden, the catnip is a phenomenal bee plant, and seems to be indestructible.

Catnip can be a kitty magnet, but then it depends how many wandering cats you have coming through your yard, if they notice it, and if they are affected by it. Catnip is a survivor and will take some abuse.

It is a great bee plant as mentioned, especially my favorite, the bumblebee. They are so fun to watch and if they are really "into" a particular flower you can pet them. ;)

FataMorgana

Never had a cat touch my catnip. Just like any plant in the mint family, tho, it can really grow!!!! My herbs growing really well: all in the mint family, all taking over!!!!
My catnip gets more shade than sun, but seems to be doing well. I wonder if medicinal properties would be affected by less sun? hmmmmmm

I've gone through three catnip plants now (well, actually, one was catmint, but they liked that one too). I live on the edge of town where most people let their kitties roam free (some even let their dogs roam free!). I have three cats of my own. One is a young male that I let out because he was a stray I adopted, and he was already used to living outside. The other two are females who have been indoor kitties their whole lives and are staying that way. (They think the outside world is big and scary.) Then there are several neighbor cats that are outside most of the time from what I can tell.

In this environment, catnip plants get eaten to the ground, try to resprout, any sprouts promptly get eaten, and eventually the plant dies.

I've been told I should put some kind of wire cage around it so the cats can eat what pokes out of the cage, but can't get to the center of the plant. I really don't mind the cats enjoying themselves (that's what I got it for, after all), I just wish they wouldn't completely kill the plant. I'll try that next time I get a catnip plant.

Also, some people don't know this, but individual cats like catnip varying amounts. My wild outdoor cat is an addict who has been at least partially responsible for killing all my catnip plants. Actually, that's how I first found him, he would come around to get some catnip. He'll roll around on the plant and fall asleep right on top of it, drooling! The other two like it, but don't go quite as wild about it.

And I had one old lady cat who just passed away this fall. She'd look at me like, "why are you shoving this weed in my face?" Wasn't attracted to it at all. Just sat there maintaining her dignity, watching the other cats getting stoned out of their minds. :-)

Just an update... ok, I figured once the pot of catnip was on the shelf midway up the 8' fence that'd I be fine... it just looked TOO HARD to get to. WRONG!! Sure enough, some cat must have been on top of the fence, and jumped down, snagging the pot and dragging it down. It was pretty trashed, but seems to have enough leaves to make it.

So today I brushed the poor thing off, gave it some new potting soil and a little 5-5-5 organics, and put it back on it's fence perch. This time though I followed through and shot 3 2.5" screws into the pot and the shelf - this time it's not going ANYWHERE. The cats will have to find a way to eat it on the fence!

Photos posted at my blog below.

Dave
RainyPNW

Here is a link that might be useful: My 2010 Garden Blog - please have a look!

Maybe you can put in a shepherd's hook and plant some of the catnip in a hanging pot as a back-up.

Had the same problem with cats destroying the catnip outdoors. I then found one of those old heavy metal grill milk container crates that I put over the catnip & the cats so far have not been able to knock it over. Now that the mint has grown through the wire open sides of the container, they can eat to their hearts content but not destroy the main plant. I had heard the addiction for catnip is genetic so some cats ignore it. So much fun to watch those with the gene to go crazy with it!!

Cats can be SO confusing! I've had cats who'll go NUTS for dried catnip turn their aristocratic little noses up at fresh, and vice versa. I'm glad to know that bumblebees like it, and I may put some in hanging baskets for them next year. (The stuff grows like mint and oregano down here -- I've got all I can do to keep my oregano confined to a raised bed. I know better than to put mint in the ground! That grows in hanging baskets for iced tea, juleps, and just the glorious smell when you brush against it.)