Perfect - deep colour, self seeding
5
My favourite plant. Has self seeded in our garden and retains its gorgeous dark pink colour. Perfect on chalk in a sunny, dry spot.
Jej
South Downs National Park
3 × 9cm pots
£20.97
£18.00
in stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)
9cm pot
in stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)
6 × 9cm pots
£35.94
£24.99
in stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)
This perennial dies back to below ground level each year in autumn, then fresh new growth appears again in spring.
- Position: full sun
- Soil: well-drained, neutral to alkaline
- Rate of growth: fast-growing
- Flowering period: July to October
- Hardiness: fully hardy
Dense clusters of reddish-pink flowers appear from July to October on tall, fleshy stems with glaucous leaves. Red valerian is long flowering and easy to grow. It's ideal for a sunny wildflower or seaside garden with poor but well-drained soil, or for growing between the cracks in walls. It self-seeds freely and prefers a chalky or alkaline soil. - Garden care: Deadhead regularly throughout the summer to prolong flowering. In autumn cut the plant back down to the ground and compost the dead stems.
Goes well with
One of the "Unkillables'
4
If you are a neat and tidy gardener, this one's not for you. It self-seeds like crazy, which is why I have marked it down one star, but in a country garden it looks fabulous. Centranthus even grows wild in the village where I live, but it's worth buying a cultivated variety if you want a really good colour. When they start to interbreed, they can turn out a dirty pink rather than a gorgeous red. I like C. ruber, because it's the colour of Fifties lipstick. Don't be dismayed if your plant is quite small when you buy it. Put it in the right place (sunny, well-drained), and it will be enormous, and breeding children all over the place by the end of summer. If it starts getting above itself, chop it right back and it will sprout again.
Awkward Hill
Gloucestershire
All 6 Red Valerian have taken and look healthy
4
It's too early for them to flower this year but all 6 look happy and I'm hoping for a good display . The plants arrived safely and well protected.
Hawkeye
London
I would not buy this again
3
Healthy plant bit smaller than expected for price . Postage high.Survived winter and starting to grow well.
Garden gnome
Somerset
Reliable service
5
This is a plant that grows in a large variety of areas and seeds prolifically. It flowers for a long time in summer, especially if the flowers are cut as soon as they seed. I grow it at the edge of a raised bed where it spills over but remains erect. I let it seed into the low stone wall and enjoy the result but you might have to pull seedlings out if they become invasive. I had the original plants for about 10 years but they died last year - not sure why. The replacements are looking good.
none
Aberdeen
Plants for close to a wall.
5
I wanted to grow these close to a wall, where the soil is shallow and dry. They thrived when I planted them and have already started greening up again this year.
Jen
Hull
Red Valerian is Thriving
5
We were unsure how happy the plants would be in our alkaline soil but need not have worried.
Mummy Bear
Dunstable
2000012675
4.4
7
85.7
- What is its scent like? When were the plants started, are they well rooted and how developed above the pot?
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nothingfail
-
Hello, These flowers tend to have a sweet perfume, although I do find that scent can be perceived differently by different people. As for the age, these are sold in 9cm pots, so will be between 1 and 2 years old and will be well rooted in their pots. Finally, their height about the ground will depend on when you order them as they die right back to below ground level in the colder months, but will grow to around 50cm or so in summer.
Helen
Prairie
Indulge a passion for ornamental grasses by creating a prairie- or meadow-style garden. They can be richly planted with native wildflowers or a selection of complementary perennials and self-seeding annuals to create a naturalistic planting effect.
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