Rheum × hybridum 'Early Champagne'

RHS Plant Profile
rhubarb 'Early Champagne'

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Herbaceous Perennial

An old English variety, producing slim stems with pale green flesh and a sweet, delicate flavour. A second early, for harvesting from May, with a relatively long season and later dormancy than some other varieties

Position

Full sun, Partial shade

Soil Types

Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

0.5-1 metres

Max Spread

1-1.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
2–5 years
Max Spread
1-1.5 metres
Max Height
0.5-1 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Clay Loam Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained
pH
Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun Partial shade
Aspect
East–facing or South–facing or West–facing
Exposure
Exposed or Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

  • H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
  • H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
  • H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
  • H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
  • H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
  • H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
  • H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
  • H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
  • H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)
H5

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Polygonaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Bushy
Potentially harmful
Harmful if eatenexcept cooked leaf stalks. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling. Pets: Harmful if eatenexcept cooked leaf stalks - for further information and contact numbers regarding pets, see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants
Genus
Rheum are robust rhizomatous herbaceous perennials with large, simple or palmately lobed leaves and tall leafy stems bearing large panicles of tiny flowers
Name Status
Unresolved

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in deep, moist, humus-rich soil. Mulch with manure in spring; avoid covering the crown. Keep watered in dry summers and divide every five years to maintain vigour. See rhubarb cultivation for more detailed advice

Propagation

Propagate by division of established crowns in late autumn or early spring

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • Low Maintenance

Pruning

Harvest sparingly in the first year. Remove any flowerheads that may develop. Allow the foliage to die back naturally in autumn then cut away the old leaves to expose the growing points to winter cold

Pests

May be susceptible to stem and bulb eelworm, swift moth caterpillar, and to slugs and snails on young growth

Diseases

May be susceptible to honey fungus, downy mildews, grey mould, crown rot and virus diseases