Victoria Rhubarb Plants

• Variety: Victoria, the old, reliable, heavy-cropping late Rhubarb
• Latin name: Rheum × hybridum 'Victoria'
• Use: Cooking. Suitable for late forcing
• Sold as: Bareroot crowns, and pot-grown in 3 litre pots
• Size: 0.5 to 1m tall and wide
• Stems: Pink at the base, shading to green. Less stringy than most
• Picking: From late May into July
• Spacing: 1.2m apart
• Position: Sun or partial shade
• Soil: Deep, moist and rich in humus. Never waterlogged in winter
• Hardiness: H5, hardy through a cold winter
• Delivered: Bareroot, November to April. Pot-grown, all year when in stock. Collection from Castle Cary also available

Victoria is an old, reliable late maincrop Rhubarb, introduced in 1837: big clumps of thick stems, pink at the base and green above, with a robust, tart flavour and little string. It crops from late May into July and can be forced late for pale, tender stems.

Victoria Rhubarb Plants

Victoria is a tried and tested variety with an easy temperament and enormous output. The stems are large with very good flavour and the plant makes an enormous clump when full grown in summer. The stalk is solid pink at the bottom, becoming green with pink speckles and ending up fully green at the leaf end. Victoria is notable for being less stringy than many other varieties. It's the latest to produce stems of the spring varieties, being most productive between May and July.
Browse our other varieties of rhubarb.

Victoria is also a good rhubarb to try to force in which case you will have pale pink stems in February to March. Forcing rhubarb requires covering it during the winter with an old dustbin or with a decorative terracotta forcer. This makes the environment warm and dark so that the stems emerge as palest pink and more spindly than if left to fend for themselves in normal conditions. The result is a delicacy so it's well worth trying but it does exhaust the plant. You need to give it a rest for a year or two after forcing and not take any stems during that time.

Growing Rhubarb

The thing about rhubarb is that it completely disappears in winter but needs plenty of space in summer. Its large, architectural leaves are handsome and look magnificent in a potager. Once planted they can be left to themselves but are so much happier if you can mulch them in spring with lots of compost and, if it promises to be very cold, to cover them with straw in the winter to keep the frost off the crowns. They require lots of nitrogen when young so dig in masses of muck into the planting hole. Rhubarb likes damp summers; if it's too hot and dry in the summer rhubarb tends to bolt so make sure you give your plant plenty of water during dry spells. Conversely rhubarb can rot in winter if the soil is waterlogged so if your soil is very heavy and wet, plant the crown on top of a mound of soil so that it's slightly raised. After planting, do not pull the stems the first year to allow the crown to gather strength. In the second year and onwards make sure you pick every stem periodically by pulling and twisting the stem away to encourage more to be formed. It's a bit like pulling a globe artichoke leaf off the main choke. Do not cut the stem.

History & Trivia

The Chinese have been grinding up rhubarb roots since B.C. 2500 and using them as herbal purgative. The plant was not grown here until the late 1700s. But it took until the late 1800s for rhubarb to become really established in the pudding department, mainly because of the repeal of the sugar tax in 1874. If you add a Sweet Cicely leaf to your rhubarb when you are cooking it, you will need less sugar to balance the tartness. Victoria was introduced by Joseph Myatt in 1837.

Planting Companions

Victoria is late, so pair it with an early variety for a longer season. Timperley Early is the first to pull, Stockbridge Arrow follows from late April, and Victoria takes over at the end of May. Our guide to growing Rhubarb covers planting, feeding and forcing. Dust bareroot crowns with Rootgrow as you plant.

Why Buy Your Rhubarb from Ashridge?

Ashridge has sold plants since 1949 and is a Which? Best Plant Supplier 2025. Your Victoria Rhubarb comes as a bareroot crown, lifted while dormant and guaranteed for 12 months, or pot-grown in a 3 litre pot for planting in any month of the year.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is Victoria Rhubarb ready to pick?

From late May into July. It is a late maincrop variety.

Can you pick Rhubarb in its first year?

Leave it alone, or take very little. The plant needs its first year to build a strong crown. From the second year, pull the stems with a twist and do not cut them.

Can you force Victoria Rhubarb?

Yes, for a late forced crop. Cover an established crown in winter to keep it dark. Forcing tires the plant, so rest it for a year or two afterwards.

What should you do when Rhubarb flowers?

Pull off the flower heads as soon as they appear. Doing so keeps the plant's strength in the stems.

How much space does it need?

Plenty. It grows 0.5 to 1 metre tall and wide, and we suggest 1.2 metres between plants. Divide the clump every five years to keep it vigorous.

What soil does Rhubarb like?

Deep, moist soil with plenty of humus, in sun or partial shade. Mulch with manure in spring without covering the crown, and water in a dry summer.

When are the plants delivered?

Bareroot plants are delivered from November to April, while they are dormant. Pot-grown plants can be delivered and planted in any month when you find them in stock.