Rhubarb ‘Glaskin’s Perpetual’ (Rheum x hybridum ‘Glaskin’s Perpetual’)

1 plant in a 9cm pot, sent in plastic-free packaging. A robust, long-lived herbaceous perennial, prized for its exceptionally long harvesting season and tart, versatile stems.

Perennial | 100/150cm tall | Full sun to partial shade | Edible stems (Toxic leaves) | Low-maintenance and highly productive

‘Glaskin’s Perpetual’ is a renowned heritage rhubarb cultivar celebrated for its extended harvest window. While most rhubarb varieties accumulate unpalatable and potentially unsafe levels of oxalic acid in their stems by mid-summer, ‘Glaskin’s Perpetual’ is specifically selected to maintain lower acid concentrations, allowing for late-season harvesting. In the kitchen, the thick, tart stems are excellent for baking, stewing, and preserving. Health Warning: While the stems are a culinary staple, the massive, triangular leaves contain dangerously high, toxic levels of soluble oxalates and anthraquinone glycosides. The foliage can not be eaten and should be severed and discarded before preparing the stems.

Rhubarb serves as a powerful architectural presence in the garden. While horticultural best practice dictates removing the massive, creamy-white flower spikes to redirect the plant’s energy into stem production, allowing a mature plant to occasionally bloom reveals a phenomenal nectar and pollen resource. These towering inflorescences attract immense numbers of foraging bumblebees and hoverflies. Furthermore, the dense, umbrella-like canopy created by the foliage acts as a highly effective living mulch. It heavily shades the soil, which suppresses weed competition, locks in moisture, and provides a cool, sheltered microclimate for beneficial ground-dwelling predators like carabid beetles.

This herbaceous perennial is exceptionally resilient and provides decades of yields if managed correctly. Holding an RHS H7 hardiness rating, it is fully hardy across the UK and actively requires a period of severe winter cold (vernalization) to break crown dormancy and trigger vigorous spring growth. It likes deep, fertile, moisture-retentive soil and benefits from an annual autumn mulch of well-rotted manure applied around but strictly not covering the central crown, as burying the crown invites fungal rot. To ensure the long-term vitality of the root system we advise against harvesting any stems during its first year of establishment.

Delivery Information

All plants are carefully packed and sent in plastic-free packaging to protect both the plant and the environment. Plants are dispatched promptly so they arrive fresh, healthy, and ready to plant.

We ship orders using a tracked 24-hour delivery service, helping to minimise time in transit and reduce stress on the plant. Orders are packed by hand at the nursery, and we aim to dispatch early in the week to avoid delays over weekends.

If you have any questions about delivery timing or combining orders, please get in touch before ordering and we will be happy to help.

To find out more about other plants for your garden visit – https://dyfiplants.substack.com