Would like to know plant ID

[sumimasen]

I have seen this plant all over the place, in gardens as well as by the roadside anywhere and everywhere. It could be a weed as well as a cultivated plant.
Does anyone know it's ID?

[JennyS]

Hi Maria
Its Red Valerian, Centranthus ruber.

[sumimasen]

Thank you Jenny.
I'm really grateful for your reply. This plant seems to be everywhere at the moment and I see a lot of it. Now that I know the name, I can finally add captions to my numerous pictures of it... Thank you so much..

[Bub-les]

Agree its red valerian
can be a bit of a weed, albeit a pretty one. The prolific seeds have parachutes and are dispersed by the wind.
Barbara

[aeshna5]

An excellent nectar plant!

[Paul mabbott]

It's not a weed if we define that as something that gets into either gardens or natural habitats and overwhelms other plants. It is a perfectly pleasant native species so don't, please, be tempted to yonk it out!

It used to grow on our pavements until the Council decided to to start spraying toxins as a routine measure. Shame ....

I don't know where you are but this is quite early for it in most parts of the country?

[mrs fish]

Red Valerian is a lovely plant, good pic

The toxin spraying council have been spraying wild plants (weeds) around here as well

I worry that the birds eat the insects etc that get killed by to

[aeshna5]

Originally Posted by Paul mabbott

It's not a weed if we define that as something that gets into either gardens or natural habitats and overwhelms other plants. It is a perfectly pleasant native species so don't, please, be tempted to yonk it out!

It used to grow on our pavements until the Council decided to to start spraying toxins as a routine measure. Shame ....

I don't know where you are but this is quite early for it in most parts of the country?

Generally agree with you Paul- but it's not a native, though is fully naturalised. I love seeing it en masse on shingle at places like Dungeness + Rye Harbour.

[sumimasen]

Thank you everyone for your comments and ID of this plant.
I live in North Wales and I have taken numerous photographs of Red Valerian (...so glad I know the name now..). I have noticed this plant in particular because it's just beautiful. It seems to grow everywhere around here at the moment, in gardens as well as by the road side. I had never seen it before but I noticed it's presence on my photo sprees... Lovely blooms, a bit like lilac...with rich, green foliage. It's definitely my favourite plant of this season....

[Wez]

It's in flower here in Gloucester at the moment as well.