In many regions of Central Europe, the woodruff can be collected in the forest, especially under beech stands. For use in the kitchen, however, it can also be sown relatively easily in pots or in the garden.
Woodruff seeds
Woodruff seeds are relatively small and form at the tops of the plants once the woodruff flowering period is over in April and May. You can either collect the seeds in the forest or buy them from specialist 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. This would harm the development of the plants and the delicate roots.
The right time for sowing woodruff
The woodruff belongs to the so-called frost germs, 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. Later sowing is also possible up to February on snow-free and non-frozen ground. When choosing the location, pay attention to the following factors:
- as little exposure to direct sunlight as possible
- a sufficiently moist location
- a loose and humus-rich soil
After sowing, cover the seeds only thinly with soil so that the seedlings have good access to the indirect sunlight in spring. It is important that you do not harvest the woodruff plants immediately after sowing in autumn or winter in the next spring, otherwise they will find it very difficult to spread and multiply at the location.
The propagation of the woodruff
If all location factors are right, the care of the woodruff involves very little or no effort. The plants sow their seeds with the wind themselves in their neighborhood and also form root suckers. Therefore, the forest plant is also well suited as a ground cover with delicate white flowers in spring.
tips and tricks
If you carefully dig up woodruff offshoots with the roots in autumn and plant them in the garden, you can sometimes harvest a few stalks for woodruff punch or desserts in the following spring.
WK