The woodruff is a perennial plant that is also hardy in our latitudes. However, there are a few things to consider when caring for it in winter.
Is the woodruff hardy?
Woodruff is hardy and usually survives the winters in this country without additional protection. In exposed locations, covering with dry leaves, coniferous greenery or spruce branches can help protect the rootstock.
The sowing of the woodruff
The woodruff is a frost germinator, so the seeds for propagation by sowing should ideally be placed in the ground between September and December. The seeds are best sown in a loose growing substrate and covered with a layer of soil about half a centimeter thick. You should then water the seeds well and keep them as evenly moist as possible throughout the entire germination period. You can either sow the woodruff right away at the intended location in the shade under trees and bushes or cultivate it in large pots. When growing in a pot, it is important to ensure that the plant containers are sufficiently dimensioned so that the roots of the woodruff can develop optimally and are better protected from extreme winter cold.
The right winter protection for the woodruff
Basically, the woodruff survives the winters in this country even without winter protection, as the populations in nature prove. However, since the climate in forest areas is usually somewhat milder, protecting the plants in particularly exposed or high locations does no harm. The following materials are suitable as winter protection for the woodruff:
- Dry leaves
- Needle Green
- Spruce or fir branches
A cover with twigs and branches protects the rootstock of the plants, but must be removed in good time in the spring so that the woodruff can develop unhindered. A cover with leaves or coniferous greens offers the advantage that the woodruff's nutrient needs are automatically met. No further fertilization is necessary for the medicinal herb and the stems find their own way through the decomposing material in the spring.
Caring for the woodruff in winter
Only woodruff in a pot needs some attention from the gardener in winter. If grown in very small pots, the exposed position of the roots to the winter cold can be mitigated either by storing them in a greenhouse or by sinking them into a pit in the ground.
Tips & Tricks
In very dry winters, you should water the woodruff thoroughly on frost-free days. This is how root propagation works even in winter and nothing stands in the way of a rich harvest before the flowering period in spring.