Herb · Caprifoliaceae
Valerian
Valeriana officinalis
Set valerian at the back of a soft, romantic border, and it lends fragrant summer flowers and the makings of a calming bedtime ritual.
Full sun
Every 3–7 days
USDA 4–9
3–5 ft · 0.9–1.5 m
Overview
Valerian belongs to the loose, romantic school of planting, the kind that turns a plain border into something that feels lived-in and gentle. Tall stems carry pale, fragrant flower heads through early and midsummer, floating at eye level and softening the lines of a fence, a path, or a seating corner. It reads as a relaxed cottage-garden plant, one that suits an unfussy, easygoing outdoor room rather than a clipped, formal scheme.
The plant carries a quiet second life beyond the bed. Its root has been dried and steeped for centuries as a herbal sedative, folded into the slow evening habits of tea and early nights that give the plant its old name, all-heal. Grow it near a spot where you sit as the day winds down, and the same planting can scent the air and stock the calm end of an evening.
There is a playful side to keeping valerian, too, since its root works on cats much as catnip does and can turn a corner of the garden into a feline gathering place without doing them any harm. The one thing to design around is its habit of spreading, because it grows fast, seeds itself with ease, and travels by rhizome, enough to earn an invasive listing in some regions. Give it a bright, moist position, clip the flowers before they set seed, and it stays a well-mannered part of the scheme.
Care
The short version: site valerian in full sun with steady moisture in rich, fertile soil, then deadhead promptly so it keeps to its place. It forgives most soils and shrugs off cold, which leaves watering and a little tidying as the whole of the upkeep.
Light
Valerian looks and performs best in full sun, which keeps its tall stems poised and upright above the bed. It will accept partial shade, though plants set out of the light tend to stretch and lean, so an open, sunny position flatters it most.
Water
Keep the soil consistently moist, since valerian favors damp, rich ground and resents drying out. A drink every 3 to 7 days, more in summer heat, keeps it lush, and while it tolerates the odd dry spell, it never looks its best when left thirsty.
Soil
Give it rich, moist, well-drained loam for the fullest growth, though it settles happily into clay, loam, or sand. It prefers a soil pH between 6.0 and 7.5, which suits most ordinary garden ground without any adjustment.
Temperature
Cold holds no fear for valerian, which rides out winters as low as -31°F (-35°C) and copes with summer warmth to around 86°F (30°C). It is at its most graceful in cool conditions and can look tired where summers run long and hot.
Humidity
Ordinary outdoor air, somewhere near 40% to 70%, is all valerian wants. As a hardy garden perennial it simply takes the humidity the season brings, so there is nothing here to manage.
Feeding
A light feed in spring, as growth resumes, is plenty, whether from a balanced fertilizer or compost worked into the ground. One feeding a year keeps it flowering, since a heavier hand only encourages soft, leaning stems.
Pruning
Deadhead the spent flower heads as they fade to curb the free self-seeding valerian is known for. Cut the stems back once bloom is over, then clear the dead foliage as the plant sinks to the ground for winter.
Repotting
Valerian is not a plant for long-term life in a container, but settled clumps stay vigorous when divided every 2 to 3 years. Lift and split the crown when you notice crowded growth, thinner flowering, or roots filling a pot.
Size & spacing
Plants rise to about 3 to 5 feet (90 to 150 cm), which earns them a place toward the back of a border. Allow each one 2 to 4 feet (60 to 120 cm) of space so light and air move freely around the tall flower heads.
When to plant
Valerian keeps a cool-season calendar that is easy to weave into the gardening year. Start seed indoors in late winter to early spring, move young plants outside once hard frost has passed, and look forward to fragrant flowers across early and midsummer. For the calming root, lift it in the fall of the second year, when it holds the most strength.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Sow: Late winter to early spring, 6-8 weeks before last frost
- Plant: Spring after danger of hard frost
- Harvest: Fragrant pinkish-white flower clusters in early-to-mid summer (June-July); harvest roots in fall of the second year for medicinal use
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 4–9
Temperature: down to -34°C
Troubleshooting
Valerian asks for little and rarely disappoints, and the two issues that surface are matters of poise and spread rather than pests or disease. Match what the plant is doing to the notes below, then step in early before a small tendency reshapes the whole border.
Seedlings appearing well beyond their bed
Valerian is a generous self-seeder that also creeps outward on rhizomes, so a single plant soon becomes a colony. Look for volunteers around the parent and in neighboring beds, ditches, and rough margins. Deadhead before the flowers set seed, lift the young seedlings while they come away easily, and dig out any rhizomes that have strayed.
Fix:
- Deadhead before seed set
- Remove volunteer seedlings while young
- Dig and discard escaped rhizomes
Tall stems losing their poise and leaning
When the stems sprawl and lean instead of standing tall, the cause is almost always too little sun. Grown in shade, or in ground that runs too rich, valerian makes soft, lax growth that cannot carry its own height. Move it into full sun, ease back on nitrogen, and lend the tallest stems a discreet stake if they still need steadying.
Fix:
- Site in full sun
- Provide staking or grow-through support for tall stems
- Avoid excess nitrogen
Toxicity
Households with animals can keep valerian with an easy mind, since it is non-toxic and pet-safe. The root famously excites cats the way catnip does, but that is harmless amusement rather than poisoning, and the same root serves as a gentle calming herb for both people and pets.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
Like catnip, the root pulls many cats in, setting them rolling, rubbing, and turning playful beside it. The effect is a harmless behavioral high and not poisoning, so let the fun play out and clear up once it settles.
Dogs None
Dogs are safe in its company. Nothing in the plant will upset them, and the root is sometimes given as a gentle calming herb to soothe nervous pets.
Horses Safe
Horses have nothing to fear here, since a mouthful of the leaves brings no poisoning.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits may graze the leaves safely, though as with any unfamiliar green, a small first helping is the sensible course.
Livestock Safe
Grazing livestock take no harm from valerian, which acts as mild, everyday forage rather than a poisonous weed.
Birds Safe
Birds are safe around the plant as well, since no part of it turns toxic should they peck at the leaves or ripening seed heads.
People Safe
People have long turned to valerian as a herbal sedative, taking the dried root to aid sleep and settle the nerves. The plant itself is non-toxic, though anyone using it as a remedy should keep to sensible doses.
The root acts as a catnip-like attractant: many cats become excited, playful or euphoric around it. This is a benign behavioral response, not toxicity. Store dried root away from cats if you do not want them disturbing it.
Varieties
Valerian is grown almost entirely as the wild species rather than as a run of named cultivars, so there is a single form to know.
Valeriana officinalis (species)
Grown as the everyday medicinal valerian, this species tops tall stems with soft, domed heads of fragrant pale-pink to white bloom, held above the aromatic, sedative roots that lend it its name.
How to propagate
Adding more valerian to the garden is a low-effort pleasure, whether you raise a fresh group from seed or divide a clump you already keep to echo a plant you love.
SeedEasy
Sow indoors late winter to early spring or direct sow in spring; self-sows readily · Germinates in roughly 2-3 weeks; establishes and flowers within the first to second season
Seed is the simplest route to a group of new plants. Sow it indoors from late winter into early spring, or scatter it straight onto the ground once spring arrives, and leave it sitting on the surface, since light helps it wake. Sprouts tend to show in about 2 to 3 weeks, with young plants settling in and flowering across the first or second season. Allow a few heads to ripen and valerian reseeds itself freely, often more freely than the scheme intended.
DivisionEasy
Spring or early fall · Divisions re-establish within a few weeks to a single growing season
To echo a plant you already admire, division is the quickest path. In spring or early fall, ease up an established clump, part the crown into sections, and settle them back into moist, fertile soil. Each piece roots in and gets going within a few weeks to a single growing season.
Myths
Because valerian sends cats into a frenzy like catnip, it must be a drug that harms them.
The display can look startling, yet it is the same innocent pull cats feel toward catnip, set off by the root's aromatic compounds rather than any poison. Valerian counts as non-toxic and is even offered as a gentle calming herb to anxious pets. The catnip-style excitement is play, not poisoning.