The woodruff is an herb that has a wide range of uses in medicine. The perennial belongs to the Rötteraceae family. The ground cover has a flat habit and produces many tiny white flowers in spring. It is ideal for the balcony box and is also a nice addition to the flower and vegetable bed. That's why in today's article we'll explain to you how you can use woodruffplant and care forcan.
Planting and caring for woodruff: location, soil and other requirements
Location:As the name suggests, the herb prefers forests and grows best in the shade of a tree. The location in the garden or on the balcony should therefore ideally be in light shade or partial shade.
Soil condition:The soil should be rich in humus and have a high lime content. Good drainage is an absolute must because the herb cannot tolerate waterlogging well. If you want to grow the herb in a pot, then one canlayer of clay on the groundbe placed. You can mix medium-sized sand with the garden soil in the bed.
Pour:The plant prefers moderately moist to fresh soil. Water as needed and never let the soil dry out.
How to properly grow the perennial herb
If you want to grow the herb, you can prefer to grow it in containers. The best time for this is in the cold season, between November and March. The germination period lasts one and a half months, then the first young plants appear. The woodruff is a very frost-hardy plant. Winter protection is therefore not necessary in the bed.
On the balconyThe woodruff is usually grown in buckets. Since the soil volume there is significantly lower and the ground can freeze through in long-lasting frosts, you can wrap the pot with fleece.
The young plants that appear in spring first need protection from wind, snow and rain. Since the herb reproduces via rhizomes, you should install a root barrier in the bed to prevent uncontrolled spread in the garden.
Planting woodruff: what distance, which neighbors?
The young plants that have already been grown can be placed in the ground after the end of the permanent frost, i.e. from the beginning of April to the end of September.
Plant woodruff in the bed:
- Dig a hole 15 cm wide and 20 cm deep, mix the garden soil with compost or organic fertilizer.
- Place the plant in the ground and cover the roots with garden soil.
- The recommended minimum distance between individual plants is 35 cm. If you see the woodruff onRand des Beetesplant, then you should leave a minimum distance of 30 cm between the plants. The distance to other flowers, grasses and crops is 40 cm.
Repotting woodruff:
- Prick out the young plants and place them in a large container or a long oneWooden flower boxor plant concrete.
- The hole should be at least twice as wide as the root system and about 20 - 30 cm deep.
- The minimum distance in the bucket or balcony box is 40 cm.
- Work organic fertilizer into the soil. Water regularly.
Neighbors in the garden and in the balcony box
The woodruff feels particularly comfortable next to other shade-loving plants. These include:
- The forest phlox. This species comes from North America, where it grows in forests. The scented plant produces small purple or white flowers. The “Sweet William” variety is particularly popular in this country.
- The lady's mantle forms an effective combination together with the herb.
- The Caucasian forget-me-not is widespread in Asia and Eastern Europe and is one of the flowering ground cover plants.
- The bleeding heart blooms after the woodruff and enchants with its delicate pink flowers.
- Small hosta varieties can successfully complete the arrangement.
- The foam flower also gets along easily with the woodruff.
- Azaleas and woodruff not only look good together, but also have similar requirements when it comes to location and soil.
Useful care tips
When it comes to care, the herb is fairly undemanding. As long as the location is partially shaded and the plant is watered regularly with calcareous water, it will get through the summer well. In the garden, the woodruff does not need any fertilizer, but in the bucket the nutrients are washed out of the soil. You can therefore supply the potting soil with liquid fertilizer every 2 – 3 weeks.
The herb can be left outside during the cold season. In autumn, the above-ground parts of the plant die off and serve as frost protection in winter. But you can also scatter leaves over the bed. On the balcony, the bucket needs winter protection. Fleece is a good choice as it protects the ground from freezing.
Harvesting time begins in early summer when the plants are cut close to the ground and then hung upside down.
