Last updated on October 23rd, 2023 at 08:57 pm
In many regions of Central Europe, woodruff can be collected in the forest, especially under beech stands. However, for use in the kitchen, it can also be sown relatively easily in pots or in the garden.
The seeds of the woodruff
The seeds of woodruff are relatively small and form on the tips of the plants once the flowering season of woodruff is over in April and May. You can either collect the seeds in the forest or buy them in specialized seed stores. It is ideal for the development of the plants if you sow the seeds as soon as possible in the intended location, so that no transplanting is necessary in the first year of standing. This would harm the development of the plants and the delicate roots.
The right time for sowing woodruff.
Woodruff belongs to the so-called frost germinators, which makes a somewhat unusual sowing time necessary. The aromatic and medicinal herb has the best chance of growth if the seeds are sown between September and December. On snow-free and non-frozen ground, later sowing is still possible until February. When choosing a location, pay attention to the following factors:
- the least possible incidence of direct sunlight
- a sufficiently moist location
- a loose and humus-rich soil
After sowing, cover the seeds only thinly with soil, so that the seedlings in the spring can well reach the indirect sunlight. It is important that you do not harvest the plants of woodruff immediately next spring after sowing in autumn or winter, otherwise they will find it very difficult to spread and multiply at the site.
The propagation of the woodruff
If all the site factors are right, woodruff requires very little to no effort to care for. The plants sow their seeds with the wind itself in their neighborhood and also form root runners. For this reason, the woodruff plant also makes a good ground cover with dainty white blooms in the spring.
Tips & Tricks
If you carefully dig up offshoots of woodruff with the root in the fall and plant them in the garden, you can sometimes harvest a few stems for woodruff punch or desserts the following spring.