Valerian
Valeriana officinalis
Also called Garden heliotrope, All-heal and Setwall
Garden plant · Herbs, veg & fruitCATS GO FOR THE ROOT the way they go for catmint, and a new plant can be dug up and rolled flat in a night — put a wire guard over it for its first season. The flowers smell sweet and the root, which is the medicinal part, smells appalling.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Easy
- Water
- Every 4 daysWater the ground — water at the base, in the morning, not over the leaves.
- Light
- Sun to part shade, in ground that stays damp
- Feed
- Every 45 days
- Humidity
- Average to high
- Hardiness
- Very hardy RHS H7, to -25°C
- Size
- 1.5 m tall · 0.8 m across
- Lifecycle
- Perennial
- Origin
- Europe and western Asia
Is it safe for pets and people?
No animal-poison authority lists this plant either way.
Nobody has checked this one against a source for us yet, so treat it as unknown rather than safe.
Neither authority names Valeriana. That is an absence and not a clean bill. Note that CATS are strongly attracted to the root, as they are to catmint, and will dig a young plant up.
Checked against ASPCA and RHS on 2026-09-22. Where a source says nothing, we say nothing.
A guide, not veterinary or medical advice. If a pet or a person has eaten a plant and you are worried, call your vet or doctor now — don’t wait for signs to appear. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
First signs of trouble
- A new plant flattened, rolled on and pulled half out of the ground overnight. It is the root they want — a wire guard or a few twiggy sticks over the crown for its first season is the whole answer.Dug up by cats · pest
- Fluffy seed drifting off the heads in late summer and rosettes appearing across the border the next spring. Cut the heads as they fade.Seeding about · disorder