Valeriana officinalis – All heal – 2 litre Tall pot

Valeriana is a beautiful plant that I came across at The Kent Garden Show in 2018.  One of my dear friends running a nursery in the north of England were retiring and sold me their stock.  Apparently they had grown it for some time and I was thrilled with my new plants.  I have grown it ever since and planted it here in the Long Border at Enchanted Gardens were it has thrived and kept up with the Cephalaria in being a very tall and elegant plant.  It has the same “feeling” as Cow Parsley, full of romance and its elegance and can be “seen through” into the garden – it does not block your view from other plants.  In year 2 I realised that it forms large clumps and also self-seeds, which I think is a complete bonus.  The flowers are a complete Joy to all of the pollinating insects who are busy feeding for the whole time it is in flower from May through to July/August.   It is around 150cm high and probably larger with moisture so Not a Little Plant.  For this reason, I am now selling her in Large 3 litre tall rose pots as she gets a little heavy in smaller pots.

It produces clusters of very sweetly scented white flowers, sometimes with a pink tinge, that attract all polinators and are invaluable for fly species, especially hoverflies of the genus Eristalis. Hoverflies are in trouble and have dramatically declined in recent years – they need all the help they can get and we have already put some of these insects on the Red Critical list for conservation, needless to say the hoverflies at Enchanted Gardens are THRIVING!.

Planting position: Sun/Partial Shade

Height x spread: 150cm x 60cm