Worth knowing:
Ground ivy – also known as “creeping Jennie” or “creeping Charlie” - is an old medicinal plant that has been wrongly largely forgotten. If you grate the leaves, the spicy, slightly minty scent of the essential oil will unfold. It has an anti-inflammatory effect and can be used internally and externally. Ground ivy also contains tannins and bitter substances that stimulate the digestion and metabolism. The plant can grow up to 30 cm tall and spreads through runners. Its flowering period reaches from March to early autumn.
Natural Location:
Wild growing ground ivy can be found on the edges of forests, in meadows and along waysides in the forest.
Cultivation:
Ground ivy is a frost germinator and should be planted out in autumn or cultivated in a tub. Cover the seeds with only a little bit of earth and keep the compost moist. The small plants will come up rather irregular during next spring.
Place:
Ground ivy thrives in sunny or semi-shaded locations in humus-rich to sandy soil. The plant also prefers a place in the middle of a lawn, but there it is often wrongfully designated as weed.
Care:
Normal liquid fertilizers for ornamental plants or sticks are suitable for fertilizing, whereby half of the amount specified is sufficient in most cases. Harvest: Ground ivy sprouts from March to June and can be harvested during that period. Always cut whole shoots - preferably in the morning before the hot midday sun - and hang the bundled shoots to dry in an airy, bright place without direct sunlight. The dried herb can then be stored in fabric or paper bags kept in a dark and dry place.
During the winter:
Ground ivy is winter-hardy.
Picture credits:
- © About © : Contact SAFLAX - - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
- © Frank Laue - © Saflax - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
- © Frank Laue - © Saflax - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
- © About © : Contact SAFLAX - - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
- © About © : Contact SAFLAX - - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
- © About © : Contact SAFLAX - - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
- © About © : Contact SAFLAX - - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
- © About © : Contact SAFLAX - - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
- © About © : Contact SAFLAX - - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
