Crop type: Rhubarb
Rheum × hybridum ‘Timperley Early’ AGM
Common name: Rhubarb ‘Timperley Early’
Crop slug: rhubarb
This Allotment Pro editorial draft summarises the cited RHS cultivar profile and its linked crop guidance. Check the sources and adjust cultivation decisions for local conditions.RHS cultivar profile
1 - Overview
‘Timperley Early’ is a high-yielding first-early rhubarb with an RHS Award of Garden Merit. Its thick stalks are deep red at the base, changing to light green with red flecks higher up, and its flesh is green. It was bred for forcing but also performs very well outdoors; forced stems develop the best colour.
The early season and forcing response make it valuable for extending harvest ahead of maincrop cultivars. The accepted cultivar forms a large deciduous bushy perennial.
2 - Size
- Ultimate height
- 1–1.5 metres
- Ultimate spread
- 1.5–2.5 metres
- Time to ultimate size
- 2–5 years
- Habit
- Bushy
- Cropping class
- First early
This is a substantially spreading cultivar, so give it at least the normal 75–90cm crown spacing and more room where possible.
3 - Growing conditions
- Suitable soils
- Chalk, clay, loam or sand improved with organic matter
- Moisture
- Moist but well drained
- Preferred pH
- Acid, alkaline or neutral
Grow in deep fertile ground that retains moisture without waterlogging. Incorporate compost or manure before planting, mulch in spring without burying the crown and water in prolonged dry weather.
4 - Position and hardiness
- Light
- Full sun
- Aspect
- South-facing
- Exposure
- Exposed or sheltered
- Hardiness
- H5, hardy in most UK sites through severe winters
Sun favours growth and colour. Although hardy, emerging forced or outdoor stems can be susceptible to frost, so protect tender shoots when a hard late frost is forecast.
5 - Colour and seasonal interest
Thick stalks rise deep red from the crown, becoming light green with red flecks toward the leaf; the flesh is green. Forcing improves the colour and produces pale, tender early growth. Large green leaves form a bold clump before dying back in autumn.
6 - Botanical details
- Family
- Polygonaceae
- Native to Great Britain and Ireland
- No
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Habit
- Bushy
- Name status
- Accepted
Genus
Rheum are robust rhizomatous herbaceous perennials with large simple or palmately lobed leaves and tall flower stems bearing panicles of small blooms.
Safety
The plant is harmful if eaten except for cooked leaf stalks. Remove the poisonous leaf blade after harvest, keep it away from pets and use suitable protection when handling if needed.
7 - How to grow
Cultivation
Plant with the growth point just above soil level. Water through establishment and mulch each spring. Do not crop in year one and harvest only lightly in year two. From year three, pull and twist 30cm stalks from the base, removing no more than one-third at once.
For an early crop, cover a strong established crown in midwinter and harvest four to eight weeks later. Remove the cover after the first flush and do not force that crown again the next year.
Propagation
Lift and divide crowns between autumn and early spring, usually in November. Each outer section needs rhizome and at least one growing point. Discard old or decayed material and replant promptly.
Suggested locations
- Allotment or kitchen garden
- Productive perennial bed
- Patio or very large container
- Cottage or informal garden
- Low-maintenance edible border
Pruning
Allow foliage to die back naturally in autumn, then clear old leaves to expose the buds to winter cold. Remove flower stems promptly.
Pests
May be susceptible to stem and bulb eelworm, swift moth caterpillar, slugs and snails on young growth.
Diseases
May be susceptible to honey fungus, downy mildew, grey mould, crown rot and virus diseases. Maintain drainage and use healthy stock.