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 many fly species, especially hoverflies of the genus Eristalis. Please know that 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.

Planting position: Sun/Partial Shade

Height x spread: 150cm x 60cm