Sweet Woodruff

The Sweet Woodruff (Galium odoratum) is an old-world perennial with delicate white, 4-petalled flowers that look wonderful with its dark green foliage! The sweet-smelling leaves are arranged in whorl around the square stem in evenly spaced intervals, with the starry flowers blooming at the top like stars over a green crown!

The dried leaves and flowers are said to have a grassy vanilla odor like fresh grass and can be used for potpourri and insect repellant in your home. In Germany, the flowers are used to flavor young Riesling, called Maiwein (May Wine).

Galium blooms from late spring to early summer throughout USDA planting zones 4 to 9, these are tender perennials that will completely die back to the ground in cold winters but will pop up in mass in the spring!

Landscape Application:

This little perennial grows in woods and on shaded hedge banks and meadow edges in the dappled shade and near a tree canopy. Flowers are set on tender stalks, with narrow, bright-green leaves, and spread by way of underground rhizomes to form polite mats of textured 6 - 12 inch tall carpets of greenery!

Fantastic edging and borders, fill in the sides of a path or walkway, or your driveway with these frilly perennials! Use Sweet Woodruff as a front-of-the-garden border perennial, in a naturalized area, or as a groundcover beneath shrubs and trees.

These shade-loving carpets will spread out to form a dense, lacy mat and choke out weeds, slow erosion on slopes, and make hard-to-mow hillsides shine! Hardy enough for Rock Gardens and airy enough for a pretty Cottage garden, even the Herb garden benefits from these perennials that are steeped in medicinal and culinary applications!

• Delicate Small White Flowers
• Loves Dappled & Partial Shade
• Fragrant Foliage & Flowers - Stronger When Dried
• Green Leaves Arranged In Whorls
• Groundcover, Edging, Massing, Erosion & Weed-Blocking Carpets

#ProPlantTips for Care:

Galium requires full sun but will tolerate morning shade and moist, well-drained soil. Its deep-green foliage develops best in the half-shade, where the sunlight penetrates with difficulty. More shade is required in warm climates. Galium can spread very rapidly and must be planted in an area where it is able to take over or planted in dry soil with reduced moisture access. Clean the area up in the fall after the foliage dies back and top-dress with a layer of mulch or compost for the winter. Deer seldom bothers these aromatic plants!

• Thrives In Part/Half Shade Sites
• Well-Drained Soil
• Moderate to Low Moisture Once Established
• Remove Foliage In Fall
• Deer Resistant

Sweet and petite, the Sweet Woodruff perennials are shade-loving ornamental groundcovers that should be included in your garden! Find yours at NatureHills.com!