Gardeners Cottage Blakeney Red & White Valerian Seed

2025 seeds now available 

Gardeners Cottage Blakeney Valerian Seeds

• An easy-to-grow, hardy short-lived perennial that grows in Blakeney and our Mid-Norfolk Garden
• Other common names include Centranthus Rubra and Centranthus Alba
• Self-seeds abundantly when established
• Mixing well with herbaceous plantings, the white is great grown in front of dark backgrounds and will really pop in the fading evening light. The claret red is a wonderful rich full flower colour in a hot border.
  
• Cottage garden favourite. Hardy and reliable. Repeat flowers in September if cut back
• Valerian seed is quite small and leaves the plants with parachute wings, much like Dandilion seeds, so collection is by hand and has to be timed carefully.
• Very easy to grow, and can be sown directly where you want them to grow in the autumn as nature does. Alternatively the seed can be saved and planted in seed compost in seed trays or pots in the late summer or early spring, which makes it much easier to spot your baby Valerian plants. Pot on or plant out at the 4 leaf stage as the plants develop a thick tap root early.
• Seeds sown in autumn may over-winter and germinate the following spring
• If sowing in spring sow March to May in seed trays under cover. 

Valerian can be grown as single plants and can reach several feet in height and width in good soil. It is also a strong grower and does well in mixed cottage garden borders It's easy to cultivate, disease resistant, and doesn't get eaten by the wildlife that we spotted so it makes an ideal addition to any cottage garden

When is the best time to sow Valerian seeds in UK

In the UK, Valerian seeds are best sown either in late summer or early spring. Late summer sowings involve collecting seeds from your existing plants and sowing them directly into the soil. Alternatively, you can sow seeds that you have saved or shop-bought seeds indoors under cover during the spring. We usually do a combination of both. 

All seeds have been hand collected and may contain seed pod and husk remnants, just like nature intended.