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Sweet Woodruff survived

teeandcee
13 years ago

I planted some sweet woodruff last year only to learn it's hit or miss here. I'm happy to report that two of my plants made it. The survivors are in the wettest part of the shade garden. All the others croaked from dryness I suspect. I think it may need a lot of moisture here as some astilbes survived just fine in one area where the sweet woodruff didn't. Here's a pic of one of the survivors. It smells SO good when you're working around it and bumping it. Mmmmmm.

Comments (11)

  • mosswitch
    13 years ago

    I have had sweet woodruff planted in my woods garden for several years. Last fall's drought really hit it and it died way back. I think some of it did come back this spring but it is pretty sparse. I hope we don't get another dry fall like that, it might be all gone if we do. I too think it needs a consistently moist soil. Or possibly it was the heat that did it in, as it did get supplimentary watering.

  • teeandcee
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    That's true, we did have an exceptionally hot year last year too. Maybe my surviving plants did so due to being in the "cool" shade.

  • helenh
    13 years ago

    That is related to an annoying weed that sticks to dogs. I have the weed but failed at the good one. I like things that smell good, I may try it again. My Clove Currant package for the MO Dept of Conservation came. That is the good thing.

    But I can't get the lawnmower started. It had three flat tires, two off the rims. I am not a very good mechanic but boy do I get dirty. They make those things in such a way that it is hard to get the battery out to charge but I did it. It still didn't start. I takes me forever to do things because I do everything the hard way.

  • christie_sw_mo
    13 years ago

    It took me three or four tries to get sweet woodruff to make it through the summer but I finally had a pretty big patch that lived for a few years then lost it. I think I let it get too dry. It's one of those plants that doesn't warn you by wilting when it needs water. It just dies.
    Fine foliage like that looks so pretty around hostas with their big leaves but I don't think I'll try it again until I have some kind of irrigation system.

    Did you get your mower started Helen? The grass is going to grow fast with the rain we had.

  • teeandcee
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Christie, that's good to know that it doesn't give you any hints by wilting. I'll keep a closer eye on the moisture.

    Helen, it only smells good when you bump it or move against it, FYI. It's not the type of plant that just scents the air around it while just sitting there.

  • christie_sw_mo
    13 years ago

    Another one you may want to try is woodland phlox. I started a new thread in case some others have comments about it. Mine is not strongly fragrant but sometimes I can smell it when I'm walking by. It's about a foot tall when it's flowering, fairly low when it's not. Named cultivars may be more fragrant. In my garden, it seems easier to grow than sweet woodruff, either more drought tolerant or heat tolerant, I don't know which.

  • teeandcee
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thanks, Christie. Where did you get your's? You can ignore my question in your thread about the wafting since you answered it here. :)

    My sweet woodruff has started to bloom. I kept my toes in the pic for scale for those of you unfamiliar with it.

  • christie_sw_mo
    13 years ago

    I got my original woodland phlox in a plant trade several years ago. The ones I have now are volunteers from that one.

  • helenh
    13 years ago

    Good looking toes; you haven't been walking in the mud. I like sweet coneflower because the foliage gives off a pleasant smell sometimes. That plant does not seem to be increasing. I try to take care of it in summer when it is dry because I love that smell. It is like good pipe tobacco a fleeting good smell not there all the time. It comes from the plant not the flowers.

  • teeandcee
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    LOL, Helen, I just polished them. Usually they're definitely "gardener's toes."