Pink-red valerian flowers

Valerian

BBC Gardeners' World Magazine

Published: Friday, 29 March 2019 at 4:39 pm

Keep control of valerian in your garden, with help from our expert guide.

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Valerian, Centranthus ruber, is a pretty plant that produces bright pink-red, fragrant flowers from late-spring to late-summer, but it also produces masses of seed that germinates all over the garden. Butterflies love it, so if you want to encourage wildlife into your garden, keep a few stems of valerian for them. There is an ornamental white form of valerian.

Symptoms

Stems of bright pink-red flowers that quickly spread across the garden, taking over in beds and borders.

Find it on

poor, exposed soils, all over the garden

Organic

The best organic control is digging the plant out and trimming it to keep it in check if you don't want to remove it altogether. If you see seedlings appearing, hoe them off or pull them out by hand.

Chemical

If you don't want to dig it out, you can spot-treat the plant using a weedkiller. Avoid spraying on a windy day and near other desirable plants.

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