Jupiter's Beard: A Mystery Finally Solved

Jupiter's Beard  © B. Radisavljevic

For many years Jupiter's Beard was a mystery plant to me. I saw it everywhere I went in gardens, but when I'd ask the owners of the gardens what it was, no one knew.   One day I saw it in a large pot at Nature's Touch in Templeton and I was sure I would finally find out its name, but even they couldn't tell me. I posted photos in gardening email groups, but no one knew there, either, what my mystery plant was.

Then one day a few months ago I was looking either online or in a gardening book and I finally found it. I could finally call it by its name -- Jupiter's Beard (AKA Red Valerian). Scientists call it Centranthus ruber. According to Becca Badgett, of the Gardening Know How Site in her article on Jupiter's Beard, parts of this plant are even edible. Yes, you can eat the leaves and roots.

Jupiter's Beard, in spite of also being called Red Valerian, is not the same as the Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) used in herbal preparations people use to help them sleep. That has very different leaves and is also known as garden heliotrope. Nevertheless, Jupiter's beard is considered an herb.

Whatever you call it, you can find it all over North County gardens. It is popular because it needs almost no care, has an attractive flower, and will grow in places many other flowers won't. You can use it on slopes, in poor soil, and in parts of your garden that are hard to irrigate. It can usually survive on rainfall alone. What it does not like are wet, shady places. It needs sun and good drainage.

My neighbor uses Jupiter's Beard at the very edge of her flower bed to add color. That is a red sage behind it.

Jupiter's Beard Hanging over My Neighbor's Garden Wall, © B. Radisavljevic

Jupiter's beard is considered a pest by some. It tends to be invasive. It reseeds in a way similar to dandelions. I know my neighbor is often tearing out her excess plants. Most of my photos here were taken of her garden. Next time she starts thinning her plants, I'm going to ask her for one.  I just learned they are very easy to root in water if you have a slip. If you would like to grow Jupiter's Beard and you don't know anyone you can get a slip from, Amazon has an amazing variety of seeds available that will give you many colors from which to choose.

If you enjoyed this post, please share it. The sharing buttons are just above the comment box at the end of this post. The photo below is especially designed for pinning. 

This is my tenth post for the 2016 AtoZchallenge, a Blogging Challenge for the month of April, 2016. My theme is plants, since this is a gardening blog. Here are links to the other posts if you missed them.

A is for Apple Blossoms
B is for Bottlebrush
C is for Carnations
D is for Daisy

E is for Elderberry
F is for Flowers
G is for Gazania
Hollyhocks are Edible
Irises Are Garden Survivors

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• What Blooms in November?

What Blooms in November?

Red Pansy Face in November

It's always interesting when planning a garden to know what blooms when. I'm gradually trying to show the photos of plants in bloom month by month in my neighborhood in Paso Robles, California. Our climate is fairly mild, but we do sometimes go below 20 degrees F. in winter. We get into the triple digits on some spring and summer days. This post will show you what's been blooming here in this month of November. The photo shows a pansy in bloom. Pansies add a lot of color in fall and winter, and sometimes last until spring.

Some plants that typically bloom in summer still have a few flowers left, along with some that dried on the plant. Here are a couple of those.

Lingering Butterfly Bush Flowers in November

Lingering Hyssop Flowers in November

Some of these flowers are really herb flowers and perform for many months. The hyssop above has been in bloom since June, but it had many more flowers then. The sages also bloom over a long period, as does the rosemary. I love rosemary in winter because you can cut it and bring it in for fragrant holiday greenery. It also helps the bees through the winter.

One Variety of Cherry Sage, © B. Radisavljevic

Hot Lips Sage

Rosemary in Bloom

Some flowers I depend upon to brighten my garden year round. One of these is calendula, which you see in bloom below.  To its left is Lamb's Ears, with its contrasting gray leaves. To its right, you see gazanias. Behind is star jasmine with the dark green leaves. It, like the Lamb's Ears, has stopped blooming, as has the browning remains of a Euphorbia plant (also known as gopher plant.), which has greenish-yellow flowers in summer.  The lighter green plant surrounding the dying Euphorbia is rue. It has never bloomed for me yet.

Calendula in Bloom

Gazanias in Bloom

Some flowers just linger into winter.

Mums and Calendula

Miniature Chrysanthemums in November

Cecile Brunner Climbing Rose in November

A Neighbor's Roses in November

Gazanias, a Blooming Ground Cover, in November

Scabiosa (Pincushion Flowers) Hiding Between Hyssop
And Hollyhock Leaf in November

Jupiter's Beard in November. I was not able to identify this until
today, but it blooms for several months out of the year. I see it all
over town and I want some, even though it is invasive. 

These flowers belong to others and are blooming today on November 27, 2015. I'm not sure how long they have been blooming.

Mystery Plant belonging to My Neighbor. Click to enlarge and
see it more clearly. The pink flowers in the back are roses.
The blue is the back of a light.

Society Garlic in Bloom in November, Next to Browning Rose Plant
Click to enlarge. The flowers are small. Red roses are blooming
in back by the fence. 

Snapdragons in Bloom in November. Behind to the left are poppy
seedlings and to the right are young scabiosa plants.

I hope this helps you plan next year's garden or decide what you might want to transplant now for immediate color. Maybe a neighbor is even cleaning out plants she would be willing to share. Rosemary is easy to root in water. I had one plant in the back yard and roots three more plants for the front yard. It should be easy to find someone who will let out take a few cuttings. I just put it in water and it roots enough to plant within two or three weeks.

What are your favorite winter flowers? I somehow missed posting my photos of petunias and hibiscus that I've seen around the county, but I don't have any growing in my own yard now. I did have a petunia growing in November last year. I saw the hibiscus in Santa Maria in a planter at Trader Joe's.

Here are two more colorful shrubs that give you red berries for winter.

Holly Berries in November, © B. Radisavljevic

Pyracantha (Firethorn), © B. Radisavljevic

The cotoneaster shrub is similar in looks to the pyracantha, but has no thorns. I decided to make a blank greeting card out of one of the photos I took of cotoneaster.

Red Cotoneaster Berries: Holiday season Greeting Card by barbsbooks
Browse Cotoneaster Cards online at Zazzle.com

Here's a matching postage stamp.

Holiday Postage Stamp: Red Cotoneaster Berries
Check out more USPS postal stamps online at Zazzle.

Related Links:
This Butterfly Bush Shows How Nature Adapts