Devil’s beard, also called garden valerian or red valerian, is a herbaceous perennial that blooms in spring and in summer.
Devil’s beard basic facts
Name – Centranthus ruber
Family – Caprifoliaceae (honeysuckle family), into which the Valerianaceae family was merged
Type – perennial
Height – 24 to 40 inches (60 to 100 cm)
Exposure – full sun
Soil – ordinary, or even poor
Flowering – May to September
You can start sowing devil’s beard at the end of winter or transplant seedlings purchased from horticulture stores in spring.
Sowing garden valerian
Garden valerian is sown right at the end of winter with a cover, or in spring directly in the ground, when the last frosts are past.
Devil’s beard needs sun to develop and bloom.
If you sow directly in the ground:
Planting devil’s beard
Spring or fall are the recommended planting seasons for devil’s beard. Keep a distance of 12 inches (30 cm) between plants.
If you’re planting devil’s beard in spring, remember to water a bit more at the beginning.
Devil’s beard is a plant that propagates naturally through its seeds, but it is also possible to perform crown division.
Devil’s beard is definitely an extremely easy plant that requires no care at all.
Devil’s beard is even considered an invasive plant, it makes sense to heed the cue and control its growth.
Very easy to care for, it fears no disease or parasite.
However, if you detect a white layer or frost-like covering of the leaves, most probably powdery mildew is infecting it.
Red valerian, or Centranthus ruber, owes its name to the botanist De Candolle, who likened its flowers to a red spearhead (kentron means spear in Greek, and anthos means flower and ruber means red).
Native to the Mediterranean area, devil’s beard or garden valerian has the incredible capacity to grow in all types of soil, even the driest ones.
It can be found especially along the Atlantic coast.
Also, devil’s beard is often said to share the sedative properties of its cousin medicinal valerian. But take note that devil’s beard or garden valerian (red valerian) differ from medicinal valerian.
Important note: Garden valerian is related to the Valeriana family. A compound that is present in all of these plants is valproic acid, a soothing agent. It has been shown that ingesting it during pregnancy, especially the first trimester, resulted in more birth defects (1 to 2% more) in the children born. These include spina bifida, atrial septal defect (hole in the heart), hypospadias (an abnormality in the urethra in boys), polydactyly (extra fingers/toes), craniosynostosis and cleft palate. Do not use this herb while pregnant!
Be aware that devil’s beard multiplies on its own very easily, and sometimes becomes invasive.
Valerian and Centranthus (Known as JUPITER’S beard) should NEVER be used by women who may become pregnant as it can cause one of the nastiest forms of birth defects, neural tube defects.
Prescription pharmaceutical extracts such as valproic acid and Depakote come with these same warnings for the same reason.
Since “All there is to know about devil’s beard” is written here, it should definitely be noted.
Hi Jeff, thanks for calling my attention to this important fact. I updated the articles to include a warning so that women wanting to benefit from the herb might be forewarned.