Description
Valeriana officinalis | Garden Valerian
Valeriana officinalis, also known as garden valerian, common valerian, heal-all, or garden heliotrope, is an upright herbaceous perennial with lance-shaped toothed leaves and dainty, highly-aromatic, 5-petaled, pink-blushed white flowers in round clusters on long stems. Grows to 3-5 feet tall by the second year. Native to temperate areas of Europe and Asia, it’s adaptable in a range of habitats including wooded areas, wetlands, grasslands, and disturbed areas like roadsides.
Garden Valerian is in the top 10 of herbal remedy uses in the United States, and has been utilized by Native Americans for hundreds of years. Current uses include in essential oils, as a flavoring agent, and as an ornamental garden plant. Extracts from the bloom were once used as perfume and oil derived from the root has long been used as a medicinal treatment of insomnia, migraine and anxiety.
Cats love valerian too! It’s as intriguing to them as catnip!
Attracts a variety of pollinators including flies, bees, wasps and occasionally butterflies, too.
Type: Perennial
Sun exposure: Full sun
Mature height: 3-5 ft
Mature width: 18-24 inches
Hardiness zones: 4-9
