Sweet Woodruff

Other Names: Asperula

Description:

A vigorous and spreading groundcover for a woodland or shade setting; attractive whorled foliage and tiny white flowers in spring; prefers organic, slightly acidic soils; tough yet quite delicate-looking, putty in the hands of a talented garden designer

Ornamental Features:

Sweet Woodruff's fragrant narrow leaves remain light green in colour throughout the year. It features dainty lightly-scented white star-shaped flowers at the ends of the stems in mid spring. The fruit is not ornamentally significant.

Landscape Attributes:

Sweet Woodruff is a dense herbaceous evergreen perennial with a ground-hugging habit of growth. It brings an extremely fine and delicate texture to the garden composition and should be used to full effect.

This perennial will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. Deer don't particularly care for this plant and will usually leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Spreading

Sweet Woodruff is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Groundcover

Plant Characteristics:

Sweet Woodruff will grow to be about 8 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 24 inches. Its foliage tends to remain low and dense right to the ground. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years.

This perennial does best in partial shade to shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil type, but has a definite preference for acidic soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This plant can be propagated by division.

This species is native to parts of North America.