Valeriana officinalis
Common valerian, cat’s herb, Saint George’s herb, cure-all: the wealth of its common names reflects the place it has held in physic gardens since the Middle Ages. Its nickname, cat’s herb, is well deserved: the scent of its roots fascinates felines in much the same way as catnip, to the point that young plants sometimes need to be protected from their attacks.
Characteristics:
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Tall, slender perennial: it reaches 1 to 1.5 m and bears umbels of small white-to-pink flowers in June and July.
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Very hardy: it withstands cold well and requires little maintenance once established.
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Wild appearance: its natural habit adds a country feel to beds and pond edges.
Sowing advice:
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Position: preferably partial shade, or full sun if the soil remains constantly moist.
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Soil: cool to moist, deep, and rich in organic matter — this is a plant of riverbanks and damp meadows, and it does not tolerate drought. Adding compost and applying a thick mulch benefit it, unlike most perennials in this catalogue.
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Method: the seeds require cold stratification and quickly lose their germination capacity: sow them fresh, in spring, on the surface, as they need light to germinate.
Planting advice:
- Plant it at the back of a bed or along the edge of a pond, spacing plants 50 cm apart: the clump becomes large.
- Protect young plants with wire mesh if cats visit the garden: they readily roll on them and can destroy them.
Maintenance advice:
- Keep the soil moist with regular watering in summer and a good layer of mulch. Cut back the stems after flowering.
Value for biodiversity:
- Its broad white umbels are frequently visited by butterflies, hoverflies, and many small short-tongued pollinators.
- It also attracts neighborhood cats, which come to roll in its foliage — a well-known use among cat owners, who sometimes grow it for their pets.
Uses:
- A major medicinal plant in European herbal medicine, traditionally used since antiquity. See our medicinal plants to sow.
- Its dried roots are also used to make toys and cushions for cats.
Harvesting your own seeds:
The seeds, topped with a feathery tuft, are carried away by the wind as soon as they mature: watch the faded umbels and cut them as soon as they turn brown, before the seeds disperse, then leave them to dry in a paper bag. Sow them promptly, as their shelf life is short. See storing your seeds.
Commitment to Quality: at SemiSauvage - Permaculture, we grow and select our seeds with respect for all living things as our guiding principle. Based near the Auvergne Volcanoes, we choose open-pollinated, non-hybrid varieties, test them for germination rates, and carefully sort and package them without any chemical treatment. Our belief: to give gardeners back the ability to resow, year after year, seeds that truly belong to them.
Add a wild, country touch to your garden with these common valerian seeds.
