Asperula orientalis - Woodruff

Asperula orientalis, or woodruff, much less known than its perennial cousin the sweet woodruff of our woodland, is a small annual plant that has many qualities. It blooms generously in summer, in the form of small clusters of lavender-coloured flowers, lightly scented and highly visited by pollinating insects. Versatile, charming, easy to grow in sunny or semi-shaded well-drained soil, it accompanies all the flowers in the garden or on the patio: perennials, roses, bushes, and potted plants. Sow the seeds from August to September in a warm tray for early summer flowering the following year, or sow directly in the ground in March-April, after the frost.

Asperula orientalis belongs to the family of Rubiaceae. This species is native to the Caucasus, Iran, Turkey, western Syria, and Iraq. It is an annual herbaceous plant with very rapid growth, whose life cycle does not exceed a few months. Woodruff forms a small clump of leafy stems that does not exceed 30 cm (12in) in height. Each stem, bears narrow and pointed leaves arranged in whorls, that are, inserted in collars all around the stem at regular intervals. Flowering takes place in summer, from June to September-October depending on the sowing date. It lasts for several weeks. At the end of each stem, an inflorescence in the form of an umbellate cluster is formed, composed of numerous small flowers with long tubes widening into 5 small lobes. Their colour is a soft blue-mauve, with a purple base of the tube. The scent of the flowers attracts bees and other butterflies. After pollination, seeds are formed which will easily germinate in light soils.

Woodruff is used like nigellas or verbena Buenos Aires, to enhance all the plants in the garden or on the patio. You can sow it in borders, in low perennial and bush beds, or in your large planters. It will also mix with rock garden plants such as cotton lavenders, tall sedums, wormwoods, and rockroses... This annual plant brings a touch of country charm to romantic settings, in the company of roses and peonies. In a naturalistic style garden, you will let it freely self-seed with Californian poppies among grasses, gauras, and echinaceas for example.