The woodruff is also known by the Latin name Galium odoratum because it exudes a very fragrant scent. In careful doses, the medicinal plant grown in pots can be used as a natural remedy and flavoring agent.
How do I successfully plant woodruff in a pot?
To plant woodruff in a pot, choose a larger pot, a shady location and humus-rich, calcareous soil mixed with beech leaves. Line the pot with clay and sow the woodruff in September for successful germination with frost.
The natural location of the woodruff in nature
If you would like to plant the woodruff in pots, you should be aware of where it prefers to grow in the forest and in the garden. An ideal location for woodruff is the relatively shady forest floor in beech forests. Here, when the sun is not too strong, it spreads via root runners, so that large mass populations of the plant, which grows like a ground cover, can emerge in just a few years.
The right care for woodruff in the pot
Basically, the pot for growing woodruff should not be too small so that the roots of the plant that has overwintered in the ground can spread well. It meets the natural needs of the plants if they are cultivated in a shady location on a balcony or terrace and not on a windowsill that is usually too warm and too sunny. As a substrate, choose a humus-rich and loose soil (€29.00 on Amazon), which should be calcareous and can also be mixed with some beech leaves. As the bottom layer, you should use some clay to line the pot with. In this way you create a natural water reservoir that is modeled on the forest floor. Since woodruff seeds require frost to germinate, you should sow the hardy woodruff from around September.
Harvesting woodruff and using it correctly
In the first year you should harvest very sparing quantities of your woodruff in the pot, otherwise the root growth can be inhibited. From the second year onwards, you should ideally harvest the woodruff stems shortly before flowering, as they are then particularly aromatic. You can use the medicinal herb woodruff as a medicine or flavoring in the following products:
- Maibowle
- Herbal tea
- Moth Pillow
- Woodruff syrup
- Berliner Weisse
Tips & Tricks
Be sure to find out the correct dosage of woodruff before use: the soothing effect of the coumarin it contains on headaches can lead to nausea, headaches and liver damage in the event of an overdose.
