Valeriana officinalis

Forms a delicate upright column, with branching stems topped with panicles of tiny white star-like flowers. Planted here in heavy but not wet soil it has made an arresting picture reflected in one of my ponds, together with the silvery-green plumes of the tufted hair grass, Deschampsia cespitosa Goldschleier, a delightful partnership for weeks throughout summer.