Valerian is a perennial medicinal herb, long valued for its traditional uses. It's hardy across USDA zones 4 through 9 and stands up to deer. Its summer flowers are a moderate draw for honeybees, native bees, and butterflies.
Valerian — the short answer
Valerian: grown in zones 4–9, full sun, pH 5–7.5, about 120 days to maturity.
- USDA zones
- 4–9
- Manual horticultural correction (source not retained); NC State Extension and Missouri Botanical Garden, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation
- Soil pH
- 5–7.5
- FAO ECOCROP
- Sun
- Full Sun
- Growable Ground Plant Database
- Days to Maturity
- 120 days
- Growable Ground Plant Database
- Frost-kill temperature
- -25°F
- Growable Ground Plant Database
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Score Valerian on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether valerian actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score valerian against your land's real conditions.
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What Valerian is
Valerian grows as a perennial and reaches around four feet at maturity. It blooms pink in summer. It's also deer-resistant.
How to grow Valerian
Valerian grows in USDA zones 4 through 9 and is ready to harvest about 120 days after planting. Valerian does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 5 to 7.5, on well-drained ground. It needs around 800 growing degree days to mature, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
4-9
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
5 - 7.5
FAO ECOCROP
Sun
Full Sun
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
well (dry spells)
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost Kill Temperature
-25°F
Where cold starts killing growing tissue. Not a winter-survival floor — a dormant perennial takes far colder, which its hardiness zone answers.
Growable Ground Plant Database
Minimum Growing Temperature
41°F
Below this it stops growing rather than dies — a pace limit, not a survival limit.
FAO ECOCROP
Days to Maturity
120 days
Growable Ground plant catalog
GDD Required
800+
Growing degree-days of accumulated warmth it needs to mature — humid summers reach this faster than cool coastal ones.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Mature Height
4 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost-Free Days
0+
The frost-free stretch it needs start to finish — short-season areas may need an indoor head start.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Start the season right
Plant valerian in full sun with at least 6 hours of direct sun. It grows in the cool halves of the year, so sow it in spring or late summer rather than waiting for midsummer heat.
Match the soil
Valerian prefers pH 5 to 7.5 (FAO ECOCROP). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. A 2–3 inch mulch layer holds moisture without waterlogging.
Harvest at its peak
Harvest the part you grow valerian for — flower, leaf, or root — at its seasonal peak.
Where Valerian thrives
Valerian is hardy across USDA zones 4 through 9. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 4–9 spans average winter lows from -30°F to 30°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 33 outright and splits 18 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 4–9·Where Valerian growsOpen map →
Where Valerian stands, state by state
Valerian is rated for zones 4–9 — a cold floor USDA puts at -30 to -20°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 33 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 18 more, and 0 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 4–9
33 states
3 of 33 shown
State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.
What grows around Valerian
Growing guides for valerian
In rotation planning, valerian counts as a Other — beds recover best when other crops don’t follow each other in the same spot year over year. (Growable Ground derivation — crop-rotation group from botanical family)
Good to know
One caution for pet owners — valerian is toxic to dogs and cats (mild severity). Keep it out of reach, and call ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 in an emergency. (Source: ASPCA.)
Valerian offers moderate value to bees and other pollinators. (Source: Pollinator Partnership.)
Before you harvest valerian, know your soil
Anything you grow to eat takes up what's in the ground it grows in, so it's worth knowing what's documented near you before you plant valerian for food. Our free screen reads 9 federal source types across roughly 1.8M indexed sites and shows which sit near your address and which way they drain. It's a screening estimate from public records and proximity — not a soil test — so a nearby record means a soil test is worth it, not that your soil is unsafe.
Your land is one point inside Valerian's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Valerian will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether valerian actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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How we know this about Valerian
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database•USDA PHZM•ASPCA
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Valerian in my zone?
Valerian grows in USDA hardiness zones 4 through 9 (USDA PHZM 2023). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
How long does Valerian take to grow?
Valerian is ready to harvest about 120 days after planting. Your local frost dates and soil temperature move that window earlier or later.
When should you plant Valerian?
Valerian is a cool-season crop, so it goes in during the cool halves of the year — early spring, and again in late summer for a fall planting — rather than at the height of summer heat. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Valerian need?
Valerian needs full sun — a spot that catches at least 6 hours of direct summer sun a day. In more shade it still grows, but usually gives a smaller, later crop. The catch is that a yard rarely gets even light everywhere — a fence, the house, or one tall tree can quietly take those hours. A Growable Ground report reads the real sun-hours across your land, canopy and buildings included, so you can pick the brightest bed before you plant.
What soil does Valerian need?
Valerian prefers soil pH 5 to 7.5, on well-drained ground (FAO ECOCROP). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Valerian attract pollinators?
Yes — valerian's flowers are a solid nectar source for honeybees, native bees, and butterflies. (Source: Pollinator Partnership.)
Is Valerian safe for pets?
Valerian is toxic to pets (dogs,cats) with mild severity. Keep it out of reach, and call ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 in an emergency. (Source: ASPCA.)