Rhubarb Varieties - What's the Difference?
There are several different rhubarb varieties available to the backyard vegetable gardener. Some rhubarb varieties can be found only in a small geographic area. In most cases, you're better off asking around at local plant nurseries and garden centers about what the popular varieties are in your area. Sometimes your best bet is to find someone with a thriving rhubarb plant and ask them if you can harvest a crown from it - that way you'll know it grows well in your area. Here is a partial list of rhubarb types, along with plant descriptions:
- Canada Red - this rhubarb plant produces short, slender, red stalks that are fairly tender, good for pies, jams and freezing
- Cherry Red - this rhubarb variety produces long, thick, red stalks, good for canning, freezing and jams
- Crimson Red - this plant is found mainly in Oregon and produces long, red stalks, good for pies, canning, freezing
- German Wine - this variety produces long, green stalks with pink splotches
- Macdonald - this variety produces large, pink and red stalks, good for canning, pies and freezing
- Mammoth Red - this rhubarb plant produces very long, thick, red stalks, good for pies, canning, jams and freezing
- Riverside Giant - this type produces very thick, green stems, good for canning, freezing and jams
- Strawberry - this rhubarb plant produces long, thick stalks that are pink to red, good for pies, freezing, jams and canning
- Sunrise - this variety produces thick, pink stalks, good for freezing, jams and canning
- Valentine - this rhubarb type produces thick, long, red stalks, good for pies, canning, freezing and jams
- Victoria - this plant produces long, thick, green and red stalks, good for pies, freezing, jams and canning
- Glaskins Perpetual - this is an English variety, features stalks with red bases tapering to green at the top, bitter-free and good for pies, jams, freezing and canning
This is only a partial list. There are other rhubarb plants available. However, they can be difficult to find because some are only grown in certain geographic areas. A simple web search will reveal several different sources that sell rhubarb crowns. We've noticed that Great Britain has several nurseries and seed companies that sell rarer varieties of rhubarb.
Click here for information about planting rhubarb
Click here to learn about watering and fertilizing rhubarb plants
Click here for information about harvesting rhubarb
Click here for rhubarb recipes and nutrient info
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