Garden Valerian grows 3 to 5 feet tall with hollow, ribbed stems and deeply divided pinnate leaves that give the lower plant a robust, slightly coarse presence. The flowering stems are remarkably light and airy by contrast, branching into dense corymbs of pale pink blooms in summer that carry a sweet vanilla fragrance strong enough to detect from several feet away. Bees work the flowers intensively. It spreads by both rhizomes and self-seeding and has naturalized widely across the northern United States, where it has been listed as a noxious weed in Connecticut and Wisconsin.

Average garden soil in full sun to part shade suits it well, though consistent moisture keeps the stems upright. In shadier positions the stems have a tendency to flop, and more shade means more flopping. The medicinal roots, harvested in autumn, have been used as a sleep aid and mild sedative for centuries, and oils from the leaves and roots flavor everything from ice cream to baked goods commercially. Because it spreads readily, positioning it where self-seeding can be managed or deadheading before seed set is the practical approach in a tidy garden. In a naturalized or meadow planting where some spread is acceptable, it establishes quickly and flowers generously with almost no intervention.