Red Valerian Centranthus ruber
LATIN NAME: CENTRANTHUS RUBER
COMMON NAME: Red Valerian
The red valerian crimsons the upright, branching perennial with the fleshy, blue-green leaves and the dense, rounded clusters of the small, star-shaped, crimson-pink flowers that open through the summer, the whole plant carrying the bold, long-flowering show. The flowers keep coming from the early summer to the autumn, and they scent the air with the soft, musky smell. It stands the heat, the dry spells, and the poor soil well. It likes the sun, and the well-drained ground.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
In the honeysuckle family, the valerians have a recognised place in the studies of the drought-hardy perennials, and the ruber species appears in the research on the poor-soil growth and the flower biology. The horticulturists value the bold, long bloom, while the ecologists note the value for the butterflies and the moths. The seed biology fills out the picture, and the growers of the low-care sunny perennials keep the species in their catalogues.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
In the sunny wall and the dry border, the red valerian crimsons the wall with the summer bloom. The star-shaped clusters feed the butterflies, the bees and the moths through the whole season, the musky scent carries on the air, and the plant seeds itself into the sunny corners. It grows well in the well-drained, sunny ground. Easy, long-flowering and drought-tough.
To grow the Red Valerian from seed,
Scatter the seeds over the fine, gritty surface of the tray, then press them in gently, keep the tray in the bright, cool spot and mist lightly
Keep the tray bright and just damp, and plant the seedlings out in the sunny spot. The crimson clusters come within the season.
. The seedlings spring up within a couple of weeks, and they grow on fast. Settle the young plants in the sunny, well-drained ground, and the crimson clusters will crimson the wall through the summer.
Fragrant red flowers. Young leaves eaten in salads or as cooked greens; roots used in soups. Not to be confused with the true medicinal valerian.