Sustainable Gardening

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Galium odoratum / Sweet woodruff

Lovely, delicate miniature groundcover for shade. Nicely fragrant — thus the unappealing sounding "odoratum" in its name. I grow it under my deck and it's far lovelier than anything else I can get to grow there. Well, except for its neighbor, hardy begonia, which you see here, along with an arborvitae and azalea.

Aggressive spreader?

That's usually the big question with groundcovers: under what situations is it a big hassle to control or a thug toward its neighbors? According to gardener reports on Daves Garden, it can be a problem when grown under ideal conditions — with plenty of moisture and rich soil. Others gardeners complain that it doesn't spread enough, so there you go — it's all about the site. When it does grow where you don't want it, at least it's easy to dig out (unlike, say, liriope spicata, which I think of as very short bamboo in its tenacity).

Uses

Shady banks, borders, edging, under trees and shrubs, even under decks. If spreading fairly vigorously, so keep it segregated from other small perennials. Large perennials, trees and shrubs can hold their own against it. It's really on the delicate side.

Details

• Not evergreen.
• Has tiny white, fragrant flowers from late spring into summer.
• Happy in part to full shade, even under decks. Survives full sun if given enough water.
• Has long been used as an herb — in potpourris or added fresh to wine (in Germany). Also a tonic, diuretic or sedative, although it's been found to cause liver damage. (A leaf or two in your Rhine wine? No problem, so drink up!)
• To 6-10" tall, authorities tell us, but mine is about 4".
• Hardy to Zones 4-8.
• Native to Europe and the Mediterranean region.

Care

• If you want it to spread, give it regular water and amend the soil. If you don't, pamper it not one bit.
• In hot, moist sumers it will die back (look crappy), so shear it to the ground. New foliage will look much better, especially after the tempature goes down a little.
• Propagate by "division", which I'd describe as digging up little chunks from where it's thick and sticking them where it's not.
• Few disease or pest problems.

Good Information in Print

• Covering Ground by Barbara W. Ellis
• The Complete Flower Gardener by Cutler and Ellis is another source I consult regularly.