...using the logic of ecology

A mediterranean solution for natural Italian gardens and sleepless nights Whether this Mediterranean plant is known by its Latin name Centranthrus ruber, by its common name Jupiter’s beard or simply by the more commonly used Red Valerian this plant has lots to offer any Italian garden designer regardless. Growing by the roadside as a native to the Mediterranean and even in western parts of the U.S, red valerian has claimed large swathes of land through its drought resisting capabilities. Thriving on poor soils where many other plants would soon perish, centranthus reigns over disturbed and rocky soils below 200m. Centranthus has been cultivated into varieties with mauve, pink or white flowers providing an interesting plant for sunny areas with poor soil. It grows into woody perennial and even takes on semi shrub-like qualities as time passes. Centranthus ruber attracts droves of insects, particularly moths and butterflies and is a favourite of the intriguing Hawk (or ‘hummingbird’) moth that arrives on the flowers at dusk. This, coupled with the fact that Centranthus has a long flowering period ( from April to October in Italian gardens) means that Red Valerian is therefore a must for the natural Italian garden. Such qualities alone would qualify this plant for use in Italian gardens, but this plant however, does possess a far more interesting quality for which it has been famed for centuries- that of inducing sleep. Both the leaves and the root are edible but they both contain substances used in the production of sedatives in the natural Italian medicine industry. Many cultures from the Greeks to the Romans have used this herb as a natural medicine and it has long been used a s a sedative to assist with insomnia and sleep depletion. A fine plant for the Italian garden and is particularly useful for those areas where just nothing else will grow.