Victoria Rhubarb Plant (Rheum rhabarbarum 'Victoria')
REE-um rhabarbarum vik-TOR-ee-ah

Deciduous Perennial Mounded, Clump-Forming in the Polygonaceae Family
The classic 1837 heirloom garden rhubarb -- thick, tart, pink-tinged stalks for pies, crisps, and sauces, from an easy-care perennial that gets better every year.
Victoria rhubarb is the classic garden rhubarb, introduced in 1837 by English nurseryman Joseph Myatt and named for Queen Victoria's accession that same year. It's a vigorous, long-lived perennial grown for its thick, juicy leaf stalks (pink at the base, fading to green toward the top, with pink speckling) rather than for its flowers. Each spring it sends up a mounded clump of huge, crinkled green leaves on stout stalks, followed in midsummer by tall flower stalks topped with large clusters of small, greenish-white blooms -- usually cut off as soon as they appear, since letting the plant flower and set seed diverts energy away from stalk production. Established plants are remarkably easy-care and long-lived (often productive for a decade or more), but patience is needed at the start: a newly planted crown shouldn't be harvested at all its first year, and only lightly its second, to let the root system establish.

Pros

  • Easy-care, long-lived perennial once established
  • Attractive mounded clump of huge leaves even when not harvested
  • Among the earliest edible harvests of the gardening year

Cons

  • Leaves are toxic and must never be eaten -- only the stalks are edible
  • Needs a cold winter to break dormancy; struggles in hot, humid climates
  • Can't be harvested at all the first year after planting
Highlights Early Spring Harvest, Long-Lived Perennial, Easy Care Once Established, Attractive Foliage
 

Plant Data

Mature Size 24 - 36 inches tall. 3 - 4 feet wide.
Sun Exposure Partial Shade - Full Sun
Moisture Tolerance Medium
Zones 3a - 7b (Usually hardy to -40° F)
Tags Deciduous, Deer Resistant, Edibles, Full Sun, Low Maintenance, Medium, Partial Shade, Partial Sun, Perennial, Potentially Toxic, Rabbit Resistant, Specimen, Tolerant of Acidic Soil, Vegetables
Bloom Period Mid to Late Summer
Flower Color Greenish-white, in large clusters
Foliage Color Green
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Pricing and Availability History

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Past Availability
2025 : 02/05 - 05/31
2024 : 02/08 - 07/20
2023 : 05/04 - 07/08

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Field-Grown vs. Greenhouse-Grown Plants

Plants which are well-adapted to our local climate are most often field-grown (outside). Field-grown plants are generally cheaper and have the advantage of already somewhat acclimated to our cold winters, but that means they’re not artificially far along in the spring and tend to bloom at the normal time in our area.

Spring annuals and tender perennials are typically grown in Greenhouses so they can be ready and luxurious exactly when customers want them. Some perennials are also “forced” into early bloom in greenhouses. In May, there can be a very big difference between field-grown and greenhouse-grown plants of the same type. The latter typically look good right away (so they’re a great choice where that’s important), but we typically pay a premium for it.


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No Pricing or Availability Right Now

We order from a rotating cast of the best nurseries in the Great Lakes region. It looks like we've offered this plant in the past, but the nurseries we're working with this week don't appear to have it in stock at the moment.

Our goal is to bring as many plants together under "one roof" as possible, so we'll try hard to make it available again in the future!