Jupiter’s Beard (Centranthus ruber) is well-known for its nearly uninterrupted flowering ability and extreme drought tolerance.
Also commonly known as red valerian, Jupiter’s Beard is a bushy, tufted, bushy, well-branched perennial with a woody base, loved for its ability to produce a showy white, pink, or crimson flowers tree, sometimes on barren soils from spring to frost.
Although indigenous to the Mediterranean, Jupiter’s Beard has escaped gardens and is naturalized in parts of the United States. There are about 12 species[1] in the Centranthus genus.
Flowers (up to 1/2″ each) are borne in dense terminal cymes (clusters) on erect to relaxed stalks that rise up to 1.5 to 3 feet above the foliage. The sessile, fleshy, ovate to lanceolate (up to 4-inches long) leaves are greenish-gray.
The Jupiter Beard is a fascinating cut flower due to its long shelf life in the vase and abundant blooms.
