Woodruff Sweet Galium Odoratum is an herbaceous, flowering perennial plant native to Northern Africa, Asia, and Europe. Woodruff Sweet seeds can be sown directly outdoors in the spring or started indoors 10 weeks before the last frost. Also known as Sweetscented Bedstraw and Asperula Odorata, this mat-forming perennial typically grows 6-12 inches tall, featuring sweet-smelling foliage of fragrant, lance-shaped, dark green leaves that form whorls on 6–7 inch tall stems. Delicate, fragrant leaves and stems release a new-mown hay odor when crushed or cut. The loose cymes of showy, small, fragrant, nutty, vanilla flavored, 4-petaled, white flowers appear in spring, attracting honeybees and butterflies.
Woodruff Sweet is extensively grown as an extremely attractive and durable ground cover for shaded areas, and in addition, this plant is used in herb gardens, rock gardens, naturalized areas, shady borders, or as an edging plant. Galium Odoratum seeds have to be scattered over raked soil and slightly topped with damp peat moss, and a period of cold stratification prior to sowing can help reduce the germination time. Established Sweetscented Bedstraw prefers to grow in average, medium to wet, well-drained soils in part shade to full shade, and the plant readily self-seeds and can quickly spread around the garden.
PLANT PROFILE
Season: Perennial
Height: 6-12 Inches
Bloom Season: Spring
Environment: Partial Shade/Shade
Soil Type: Rich/Average/Medium/Wet Well-drained, pH 4.3-8.3
USDA Zones: 4-8
PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS
Sow Indoors: Winter/Spring (8-10 weeks before last frost)
Sow Outdoors: Spring
Seed Depth: 1/4 Inch
Germination Time: 30-90 Days
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