Centranthus

(Red Valerian) Ruber

Centranthus ruber carries rounded clusters of small carmine red flowers on branching stems above fleshy, blue green leaves. It builds a bushy, slightly sprawling plant of about 60-80 cm in height and 50-60 cm in width. Plant 4-5 per square metre, or tuck single plants into gaps in a wall where they will root in almost nothing. It flowers from early summer well into autumn and the light scent pulls in bees and butterflies all day. It thrives on poor, stony ground, which makes it perfect for dry walls, gravel gardens, sunny slopes and the hot edge of a border.

Red valerian wants full sun, the more open and warm the spot, the sturdier and longer flowering the plant. It actually prefers poor, stony, free draining soil, even chalky ground, and grows soft and floppy in rich, moist beds. It is very drought tolerant once rooted, so water only in extreme dry spells, though plants in pots need checking because they run dry far faster. Cut the whole plant back hard by about half as soon as the first flush fades and it will flower again within a few weeks, which also stops it seeding everywhere. Tidy the old stems down to the ground in early spring. It is fully hardy and needs no winter protection, just avoid heavy soil that stays wet.

Your order will be hand picked and packed in our strong and sustainable packaging as soon as possible, after which it will be delivered straight from our greenhouse to your door by your chosen carrier. You can follow the journey of your plants via the tracking link you receive in your mail. If you have any questions regarding your order and its shipment, you can get in contact with our support team.

We expect every order to arrive in tip-top shape. We take intensive care of the plants in our greenhouse and use special and as sustainable as possible protective packaging to ship our plants. We also wrote an extensive blog about how to unpack and prepare your plants for growth after shipping. However there are rare occasions where our plants don’t meet their full potential. That’s why all plants are guaranteed for 30 days after arrival, if still in its original nursery pot.