Sweet woodruff / Sweetscented bedstraw

Plant family

Madder or Coffee family (Rubiaceae)

Season Overview

Details

Light requirement

Shady

Water requirement

Wet

Soil

Medium (loamy)

Nutrient requirement

Medium

Seeding distance

20 cm

Row spacing

30 cm

Seeding depth

1 cm

Instructions

Description

The plant species woodruff, fragrant bedstraw, wood mange, schumarkel, forest motherwort or mayweed belongs to the genus of bedstraw (Galium) and the red family (Rubiaceae). It is used as a spice and medicinal plant in woodruff punch or candy. The leaves of woodruff are narrowly elliptical and stand in whorls around the stems. They sprout early and have a fresh green color, which they retain for a long time. The leaves have an aromatic fragrance, and when dried they feel like paper. It also thrives in a pot. The white star-shaped flowers serve as food for many moth caterpillars. (From my-beautiful-garden).

Growing tips

Cold germinator. Sowing depth: 0.5 cm. Is sown in winter. Can also be grown in advance, then the plantlets are planted between March and September. Keep evenly moist. Direct seeding only if soil is weed free. Can sprawl and form ground-covering carpets. Frost hardy. Harvested just before or during flowering. Propagates by its seeds or vegetatively. Because it is prolific, other plants are often crowded out.