The woodruff, an ancient medicinal and aromatic plant, can be recognized and collected on spring walks through the forest in many regions. You can also plant it in a pot or under a tree in the garden.
How can I successfully plant woodruff?
Woodruff thrives optimally in shady locations with humus-rich, loose soil that retains moisture well. Seeds are sown between September and December. It can be planted under trees, bushes or in a shady pot.
Where can you get woodruff plants?
If you know of places with dense woodruff growth in the forests in your area, you can, with the permission of the landowner, carefully dig up some plants and transplant them to a shady spot in the garden on a not too hot day. Many garden plant specialist stores stock woodruff in the culinary herbs department. But it can also be grown relatively easily from seeds.
What is the perfect location for the woodruff?
The woodruff is rightly named because it is a typical forest plant. It therefore only grows in mostly shady locations and cannot tolerate strong sunlight. This also means that the woodruff is dependent on a constant supply of water and has difficulty withstanding excessive drying out of the soil. In the garden you can grow the woodruff under bushes and trees or in a shady pot.
When should woodruff be sown or preferred?
The woodruff is a frost germinator, so the seeds should be sown between September and December. Growing it in a pot usually makes little sense, as the woodruff's sensitive roots can easily be injured when transplanting.
How can woodruff be propagated?
If you want to plant the woodruff correctly, you should give it enough space in the garden bed or in the pot. The woodruff will then reproduce itself through self-sowing after the first flowering and through root runners.
When should woodruff be harvested?
The best time to harvest woodruff is in April and May, when the coumarin content is lower before the upcoming flowering period. Then try processing it into delicious dishes such as:
- Maibowle
- Woodruff ice cream
- Woodruff syrup
Which soil is suitable for woodruff?
As a forest plant, the woodruff requires loose and humus-rich soil that can store moisture well.
Tips & Tricks
Fertilization is generally not necessary for woodruff. To supply nutrients to its location, it is sufficient to cover the woodruff with a layer of leaves in autumn, which then decomposes until spring.
