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Armoracia rusticana 'Variegata' |
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| | By mid-April, the foliage has pushed up into a nice clump, and a little variegation is already evident |
| Common name |
variegated horseradish |
| Life cycle |
perennial (Z3-10) |
| Size |
3' |
| Light |
full sun |
| Cultural notes |
rich soil, not too dry |
This very striking plant does not like to be disturbed. In fact, its wonderful variegation recedes every time it feels violated, only to return when it gets comfortable once again. I saw this in the Niagara Falls botanical garden, and knew I had to have it in our garden. That was years ago, and it has finally found a more or less permanent place in our garden, which allows the full potential of the foliage to come out. The variegation is variable - some leaves are almost completely white, others coarsely blotched, still others more finely patterned. Certainly a plant I enjoy having around!
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| | Some years it wants to bloom. Note the very different flower-stalk leaves. |
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| | Flowers are hardly showy - I cut the inflorescence after taking these photos, to allow the plant to work on its leaves instead. |
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One or more images of this plant are included in my stock photo catalog About my plant portraits
PlantLinks to other web pages about Armoracia rusticana 'Variegata'
Visitors to this page have left the following comments| Donna | May 28, 2008 | My horse radish plant blooms and it has the most wonderful smell...almost like jasmine.....but I want to know if the leaves are edible.....like in a salad or used in soups ? Oh, and I live in Maryland but this root stock came with me from Texas. |
| Clark Shea | Apr 10, 2009 | This horse radish is certainly a conversation starter and we love having it in our garden. One thing you should remember if you are lucky enough to get one of these plants is that it is a magnet for snails. They obviously love it in their diet. Learn from our mistakes. Keep those slugs and snails under control. |
| Kris | May 20, 2009 | Doesnt the variegated variant get out of control? We had the common horse radish in our previous garden and swore not to let it in our garden ever again. It was the worst weed I have ever seen- the roots are really, really long and even a little bit can start a new plant. But the roots are also very tasty when preserved or added to pickles.
I suspect that 'Variegata' is less vigorous than the species - but it will still return in areas where its roots have not been completely removed. Not a problem in our garden, but it might be if it is provided more favorable conditions. |
| Mike | Jul 16, 2009 | I live in Denver and I grow the Variegata. The spreading isn't too bad because all my friends want some so we're always digging it up. I'm not sure if I would care because its is a beautiful plant and I look foward to it coming up every year. The leaves are edible. I rap them around ears of corn and put them on the BBQ. I also like horseradish in tomato soup. |
| Toni-Lou | Sep 07, 2009 | The best thing to do with any horseradish in your garden is to sink an old dustbin or large, tall container into your garden & fill it with soil. Then plant the horseradish in there. That way it will only spread to the size of the container & not totally take over your garden & become a weed. |
| Paula | Jul 26, 2010 | I am desperate to locate the variegated horseraddish. Any help would be very much appreciated.
Many many thanks
Paula |
| Jo | Sep 15, 2011 | Hi Rob - I'm a fellow HPSer, and wondering if you know a source to purchase this. Horeseradish has been on my list of things to get started, now that we have a permanent home (along with asparagus and rhubarb), and I recently read that fall is a good time to get it in. You can reach me at jossaladdays - at - gmail - dot - com Thanks!
It seems like this plant can be hard to find - it's one of the ones I get most questions about. I'm not aware of any specific source. Plain horseradish (not the variegated kind) should be a lot easier to find though. Again, I don't know of a specific online source, but even fellow gardeners should be able to help you out, as it has a reputation for running... |
| Chris | Apr 04, 2013 | I just ordered variegated horseradish plants from Lazy S's Farm, an online mail order nursery. The plants arrived today and are in 4in. pots and very healthy. They say it will take a year in the garden for the variegation to become evident. |
| info@kwekerij-joosten.nl | Oct 19, 2014 | I have a lot of plants, but the first year tthey are green, is that normal?
Yes - the variegation doesn't present itself until the plant has settled into its location without being disturbed. |
| bob | Oct 28, 2020 | Well-Sweep Herb Farm had it last season and do mail order. |
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