This site is an archive of ChiotsRun.com. For the latest information about Susy and her adventrures, visit the Cultivate Simple site.
Thank you for all your support over the years!

New Plant: Sweet Woodruff

May 23rd, 2018

I’ve been looking for a few small groundcover type plants to add under the big apple tree. Years ago, I spotted sweet woodruff growing as a groundcover under large trees and filed it away in the back of my brain. When I was at a greenhouse recently, I spotted one for a few dollars.

Often, when I’m thinking of adding plants to the garden, I purchase one and watch it for a year. Plants can be pretty specific about their likes and it’s always good to watch one plant for a year before investing lots of money in a lot of one thing.

So far this plant is thriving under the old apple tree. I’ll be particularly interested in watching it next spring to see how it survives the winter and how quickly it gets going in the spring. For a ground cover to be effective as a weed suppressant, early emergence is an important factor.

Do you have any favorite ground covers?

3 Comments to “New Plant: Sweet Woodruff”
  1. Nebraska Dave on May 23, 2018 at 11:26 pm

    Susy, bind weed, creeping charlie, wild African violets, and wild strawberry are all in competition with each other for the ground cover in my yards and gardens. I don’t intentionally plant ground cover because it seems to spread too well.

    I finally got to poke a few sweet corn seeds into the mud yesterday. Hopefully they will produce some plants. As I recall, I had to do the same last year. The weeds are starting their pre summer growth spurt and it’s a challenge to stay ahead of them. It’s been a bit of a task just to get in the garden and do any thing this Spring. Snow, rain, and even a spot of hail a couple days ago have greatly curtailed planting this year. Gone are all aspects of that first tomato by the 4th of July. It’s a gardener’s dream to be able to bite into a juicy fresh tomato on the 4th of July here in Nebraska.

    The high today was 91 with more of the same for the rest of the week. It makes for working outside a bit sluggish.

    Have the best Maine day in the garden that you can.

    Nebraska Dave

    Reply to Nebraska Dave's comment

    • Susy on May 24, 2018 at 9:32 am

      Bindweed and creeping Charlie are definitely ground covers. I also have loads of those dooryard violets that compete for ground in every nook of the garden.

      Reply to Susy's comment

  2. Chris on May 31, 2018 at 5:23 pm

    I have sweet woodruff growing in my yard but it just showed up all by itself as I never planted it. It was a very welcome freeloader nonetheless! I love that it returns every spring but only grows in deep shade so hopefully the area under your tree provides that cover for it! :)
    It is such a darling, sweet plant that isn’t aggressive at all! I also love and use creeping thyme but it needs lots of sun. Low growing sedums do well here too as ground covers and are really quite pretty when left to spread!

    Reply to Chris's comment

About

This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

Admin
Read previous post:
Homegrown Lemons

I purchased this meyer lemon tree a year or two ago to add to my collection of potted citrus. It...

Close