Plant in well-drained, woodsy soil that retains moisture. Mulch thinly in early spring to maintain the organic content of the soil and hold in moisture. Provide water during long dry spells to keep the foliage from browning. Sweet woodruff requires no other care, not even cutting back. You can divide clumps to increase your supply at any time during the growing season. To keep it from spreading beyond a certain point, drive a sharp spade into the ground at the desired edge of the clump and pull up any runners beyond the cut boundary.
Sweet woodruff is a delightful little plant with soft green leaves the color of spring. The narrow leaves grow in a whorl (like the spokes of an umbrella) around square stems, creating a more delicate texture than most ground covers. The tiny white starlike blossoms sparkle above the foliage in spring and early summer and have a delicate fragrance. When crushed, this sweet-smelling plant has the scent of new-mown hay. (The aroma comes from coumarin, a chemical used by the perfume industry to help fix fragrances.) Added to wine, this herb creates that unique and delicious libation Maibowle, or spring wine. Sweet woodruff is a bewitching plant that makes a useful ground cover in shady locations, where it spreads freely and only rarely becomes a pest.
A shade garden without sweet woodruff is hardly worth contemplating. It will fit anywhere and everywhere, with wildflowers, with cultivated woodland treasures, or as a ground cover under shrubs and trees. As a ground cover, it mixes well with spring- or summer-flowering bulbs and lilies. Cut a few sprigs to accompany lily-of-the-valley in a dainty late-spring bouquet.
ZONES: 4–9
BLOOM TIME: Spring and early summer
LIGHT: Part to full shade
HEIGHT: 4–9 inches
INTEREST: A useful ground cover with spring green leaves and twinkling white flowers