In article , Hussein M.
writes
On Fri, 16 May 2003 17:01:24 +0100, "Smeckler"
wrote:


I put in a plant of Galium odoratum this year hoping to start a colony
of it in the
"woodland" area. It's doing really well at the moment so I had better
find out the best
way to spread it about a bit. Do you find yours self seeds easily?
Pollinators Flies,
bees, self, the book says


I haven't seen it self-seed, but it's been creeping rapidly - it covers
about 10 square feet now which is about double what it was a year ago.
It's doing an OK job of competing with the Vinca major for control of
the shady border.

WOW that's going some! Against V. major!

Maybe the Vinca will end up dominating in the deeper shade areas though.

The two patches of woodruff I know about are a) under a weeping crab
apple on the N side of our house b) on our local nature park, steep bank
planted densely with elderberry and hawthorn.

So I think woodruff can cope with deep shade!
--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

In article ,
Kay Easton wrote:

The two patches of woodruff I know about are a) under a weeping crab
apple on the N side of our house b) on our local nature park, steep bank
planted densely with elderberry and hawthorn.

So I think woodruff can cope with deep shade!

It is a woodland plant, after all. My guess is that it can compete
with Vinca major only when the latter is severely handicapped - e.g.
by deep shade! Certainly, here it can't.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On Sat, 17 May 2003 08:42:49 +0100, Kay Easton wrote:


Maybe the Vinca will end up dominating in the deeper shade areas though.

The two patches of woodruff I know about are a) under a weeping crab
apple on the N side of our house b) on our local nature park, steep bank
planted densely with elderberry and hawthorn.

So I think woodruff can cope with deep shade!

Well, well. Thanks for that. I think it will be a useful plant for me in that case.


Huss
Grow a little garden

spam block - for real addy, reverse letters of second level domain.

On Fri, 16 May 2003 05:22:59 +0100, Hussein M. wrote:

I put in a plant of Galium odoratum this year hoping to start a colony of it in the
"woodland" area. It's doing really well at the moment so I had better find out the best
way to spread it about a bit. Do you find yours self seeds easily? Pollinators Flies,

Hi Huss,

My sweet woodruff is taking over the garden by spreading - be warned - it
has even got into my lawn!!! I've found that if it likes the conditions it
just spreads quietly, until one day you turn round and think "Where the
*hell* did that lot come from!" (just as well it only grows to about 6"
otherwise you'd need a machete!).

However, its a quiet pleasent plant that is reasonably easy to weed out -
on a par with vinca in my book. It is an excellent ground cover, pretty in
flower, and pleasent when not. Would you like some to expand your
collection? It's probably time I cleared it out of the lawn!

Sarah

In article ,
Sarah Dale wrote:

My sweet woodruff is taking over the garden by spreading - be warned - it
has even got into my lawn!!! I've found that if it likes the conditions it
just spreads quietly, until one day you turn round and think "Where the
*hell* did that lot come from!" (just as well it only grows to about 6"
otherwise you'd need a machete!).

Mine never has. My guess is that it is another of the plants that
will do so only if it both likes the conditions and the competitive
plants don't.

However, its a quiet pleasent plant that is reasonably easy to weed out -
on a par with vinca in my book. It is an excellent ground cover, pretty in
flower, and pleasent when not. Would you like some to expand your
collection? It's probably time I cleared it out of the lawn!

Why? I doubt that it would harm the grass significantly if mown
regularly - it would be just another lawn plant like scarlet
pimpernel. I can see that it might smother weak grass (e.g. in shade)
if not mown short, but it would probably make a better lawn in such
conditions than grass!



Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Nick Maclaren wrote:

[-]

I can see that it might smother weak grass (e.g. in shade)
if not mown short, but it would probably make a better lawn in such
conditions than grass!

Thank you for that -- I'd been trying to think of something for the
corners where grass dies in the shade :-)

regards
sarah


--
"Great is truth, but still greater, from a practical point of view,
is silence about truth." Aldous Huxley

On Tue, 20 May 2003 22:26:15 +0100, "Sarah Dale" wrote:

On Fri, 16 May 2003 05:22:59 +0100, Hussein M. wrote:

I put in a plant of Galium odoratum this year hoping to start a colony of it in the
"woodland" area. It's doing really well at the moment so I had better find out the best
way to spread it about a bit. Do you find yours self seeds easily? Pollinators Flies,

Hi Huss,

My sweet woodruff is taking over the garden by spreading - be warned - it
has even got into my lawn!!! I've found that if it likes the conditions it
just spreads quietly, until one day you turn round and think "Where the
*hell* did that lot come from!" (just as well it only grows to about 6"
otherwise you'd need a machete!).

However, its a quiet pleasent plant that is reasonably easy to weed out -
on a par with vinca in my book. It is an excellent ground cover, pretty in
flower, and pleasent when not. Would you like some to expand your
collection? It's probably time I cleared it out of the lawn!

Thanks for the tips Sarah. Neighbouring plants have sufficient stature not to get over
run and I shall keep a watch on it.

I love it because it looks so English countryside. I tried crushing some leaves and
flowers between my fingers to get a sweet hay smell but didn't notice anything to
spectacular. Maybe the strength of the scent comes on drying. Mine is the "odorata" too.

I see it has another Common Name - "Bedstraw".

Do you know if it "comes back" vigourously after a medium haircut?

Thanks for the offer by the way. But I don't think we need the Woodruff stage coach just
yet.


Huss
Grow a little garden

spam block - for real addy, reverse letters of second level domain.

In article ,
Hussein M. wrote:

I see it has another Common Name - "Bedstraw".

Not quite. It is one of the bedstraw family, but it is not normally
called a bedstraw.

Do you know if it "comes back" vigourously after a medium haircut?

If it is established, and given suitable weather (i.e. wet and warm),
yes. It will not regrow in dry weather, and will wait for rain.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article , Hussein M.
writes

Thanks for the tips Sarah. Neighbouring plants have sufficient stature not to
get over
run and I shall keep a watch on it.

I love it because it looks so English countryside. I tried crushing some
leaves and
flowers between my fingers to get a sweet hay smell but didn't notice anything
to
spectacular. Maybe the strength of the scent comes on drying. Mine is the
"odorata" too.

Yes, it's when dried

I see it has another Common Name - "Bedstraw".

All the species in the genus Galium are called Bedstraw, so that you
have lady's bedstraw (yellow), hedge bedstraw, marsh bedstraw and so on.


--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

On 25 May 2003 09:30:09 GMT, (Nick Maclaren) wrote:

In article ,
Hussein M. wrote:

I see it has another Common Name - "Bedstraw".

Not quite. It is one of the bedstraw family, but it is not normally
called a bedstraw.

Right! Galium verum is Lady's bedstraw and numerous other Galiums are this that or the
other bedstraw, but I see only the odoratum is Sweet Woodruff. I got some Lady's bedstraw
from the local organic grocers - amongst the usual herbs a little pot organically grown.
It will be interesting to compare the two though the Lady's bedstraw will, under a palm,
get rather more sun.

Do you know if it "comes back" vigourously after a medium haircut?

If it is established, and given suitable weather (i.e. wet and warm),
yes. It will not regrow in dry weather, and will wait for rain.

Well, I suppose it must be harvestable in order to strew around or stuff mattresses.
They say a bag of hops under the pillow aids sleep. Oh dear, that family again.

Respect

Huss

Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Grow a little garden

spam block - for real addy, reverse letters of second level domain.

On Sun, 25 May 2003 11:29:57 +0100, Kay Easton wrote:


I love it because it looks so English countryside. I tried crushing some
leaves and
flowers between my fingers to get a sweet hay smell but didn't notice anything
to
spectacular. Maybe the strength of the scent comes on drying. Mine is the
"odorata" too.

Yes, it's when dried

Oh great. Sounds like it produces some sort of scented oil that "comes out".

Huss

Grow a little garden

spam block - for real addy, reverse letters of second level domain.

In article ,
Hussein M. wrote:
On Sun, 25 May 2003 11:29:57 +0100, Kay Easton wrote:

I love it because it looks so English countryside. I tried crushing some
leaves and
flowers between my fingers to get a sweet hay smell but didn't notice anything
to
spectacular. Maybe the strength of the scent comes on drying. Mine is the
"odorata" too.

Yes, it's when dried

Oh great. Sounds like it produces some sort of scented oil that "comes out".

No, that's not it. The chemical is scentless in the live tissue, but
'develops' into coumarin as the plant dries.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Hussein M:

I love it because it looks so English countryside. I tried crushing some
leaves and flowers between my fingers to get a sweet hay smell but
didn't notice anything too spectacular. Maybe the strength of the scent
comes on drying. Mine is the "odorata" too.

Kay Easton:

Yes, it's when dried


Hussein M:

Oh great. Sounds like it produces some sort of scented oil that "comes out".

The scent develops due to oxidation of unscented compounds. Fear
not: no oil.


--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

On Wed, 21 May 2003 07:30:33 +0000, Nick Maclaren wrote:

Why? I doubt that it would harm the grass significantly if mown
regularly - it would be just another lawn plant like scarlet
pimpernel. I can see that it might smother weak grass (e.g. in shade)
if not mown short, but it would probably make a better lawn in such
conditions than grass!

You are right Nick, my so called 'lawn' is probably improved by the
addition of swet woodruff! To be honest, I'm not actually planning to dig
it out of the lawn - way too much hassle! I shall see how it with stands
mowing. What I have done is clear a 1" strip between the lawn and flower
beds containing the woodruff - to re-establish the demarcation points.

Sarah

I love it because it looks so English countryside. I tried crushing
some
leaves and flowers between my fingers to get a sweet hay smell but
didn't notice anything too spectacular. Maybe the strength of the
scent
comes on drying. Mine is the "odorata" too.

Kay Easton:

Yes, it's when dried

Yep, I'm drying a bunch at the moment. It goes all dry and crinkly and
quickly develops a pretty strong smell that me 'n the missus both reckon
is 'almondy'.