Sweet woodruff forms a dense groundcover, growing on a creeping rhizome. The squarish stems grow about 40cm (6-12”) tall. The bright green, narrow, rough textured leaves are arranged in whorls around the stems. The foliage dies back to the ground in most winters in the Midwest and reappears early in spring.
Do you cut back sweet woodruff in the fall?
Sweet Woodruff has delicate green foliage. Each thin stem is surrounded by whorls of simple green leaves, with a few inches of space between each whorl. ... The foliage of Sweet Woodruff dies back to the ground in late autumn . The dried foliage is very fine and can simply be raked away in the late fall or early spring.
Does sweet woodruff dieback in winter?
Sweet woodruff forms a dense groundcover, growing on a creeping rhizome. The squarish stems grow about 40cm (6-12”) tall. The bright green, narrow, rough textured leaves are arranged in whorls around the stems. The foliage dies back to the ground in most winters in the Midwest and reappears early in spring.
How do you take care of sweet woodruff?
Water regularly to maintain evenly moist soil – weekly, or more often. Provide average, moist, well-drained soil. Water regularly during the growing season to maintain evenly moist soil. Dry-shade tolerant, when well-established.
Is sweet woodruff annual or perennial?
Galium odoratum, commonly called sweet woodruff, is a mat-forming perennial that is most often grown as a ground cover in shady areas. Plants typically grow 8-12′′ tall and feature fragrant, lance-shaped, dark green leaves in whorls of 6-8 along square stems.
Can you walk on sweet woodruff?
Sweet woodruff looks none the worse for my visits. Low-growing varieties of bellflower, chamomile, and yarrow are not only walkable but mowable as well . Walkable groundcovers are important because they can replace lawn areas and help reduce mowing.
How do you stop sweet woodruff from spreading?
In moist soil, it can spread very quickly and can become invasive in the right conditions. It is often recommended that you plant sweet woodruff ground cover in an area that you would not mind seeing naturalized by sweet woodruff. You can also keep sweet woodruff under control by spade edging around the bed yearly .
Is sweet woodruff toxic to dogs?
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers sweet woodruff safe only in alcoholic beverages. Also avoid cocoa mulch as it is toxic to dogs . Although a tea of the wilted or dried leaves is still used as a gentle tranquilizer, large quantities can cause dizziness and vomiting. Many plants are toxic to dogs.
Can you prune sweet woodruff?
Anyways, my question is this — For anyone who grows or has grown Sweet Woodruff, do you prune off the old tattered foliage or if you don’t do anything will the plant shed the old foliage on its own as the year progresses. ... After all, no one’s pruning Sweet Woodruff in the wild .
Will sweet woodruff choke out other plants?
I particularly dislike sweet woodruff because its extremely rapidly growing root system grows through the root systems of perennials and shrubs rather than upto or around, making it virtually impossible to completely remove from infested plants without trashing them.
How far will sweet woodruff spread?
Maintaining a patch of sweet woodruff
The plant grows to be about six to eight inches (15 to 20 cm) tall and spreads about 12 inches (30 cm) . Plants form a pretty thick carpet of foliage that is reasonably easy to manage if you keep on top of it. However, it does like to spread when it’s happy in its environment.
Does sweet woodruff need sun or shade?
Sweet woodruff grows well in full shade to partial shade , particularly when it is planted under trees. Full sun, especially when it’s at its brightest in the middle of summer, can scorch the leaves.
Is sweet woodruff poisonous?
Sweet woodruff is LIKELY SAFE in when consumed in amounts normally found in food. It is POSSIBLY SAFE when used in medicinal amounts, short-term. Sweet woodruff can cause headaches , dizziness, blackouts, and possibly liver damage when used long-term or in large amounts.
Is sweet woodruff a good ground cover?
With starry, white flowers and a well-behaved habit of spreading slowly in sheltered, woodland settings, sweet woodruff is a good-natured perennial ground cover for a shade garden.
Can sweet woodruff handle foot traffic?
Though it appears dainty, sweet woodruff is tough and can take a little foot traffic if grown among pavers and along paths . In the event the herb is mown, especially if it has dried out some, the area will be filled with a lovely scent, recalling another common name for it, sweetscented bedstraw.
Will deer eat sweet woodruff?
Plant sweet woodruff and let it ramble around taller perennials such as hosta and hellebore. ... Sweet woodruff is also used in the production of May Wine a traditional German beverage served on May 1st every year. This rugged ground cover is also deer resistant . Hardy from zones 4-8.
