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wildhaired_mavens

What herb is this?

11 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago

This little herb is pest free, great companion, beautiful lush green, grows happily in deep shade and has a beautiful six leaf finger spreading habit. Alas it was a volunteer and I want more. Hope someone can identify it.

Comments (7)

  • 11 years ago

    Looks like Woodruff, Galium odoratum.

  • 11 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Hi Suzi, Everything was planted outside by me. of course two herbs planted themselves. The pot gallon pot was planted with runner beansz, rhubarb, asparagus and parsnips. I threw some lettuce mix, and beets to grow under those big plants. two odd herbs planted themselves.

    The whole pot is doing way better than the rest of my container garden. The runner beans are over ten foot high. The're growing on the roof after outgrowing the bean poles. The rhubarb has had a child and there might be 5 asparagus ferns in there. The lettuce dwarfed by overcrowing but no signs of bolting. This is beginners luck and I'm trying to find out how to do it again In a 30 gallon pot next year.

    Floral, it might be woodruff, that's an unusual herb in my climate. My garden is isolated on a rooftop so maybe some migrating bird brought the seed back from the east coast. Woodruff doesn't grow naturally in my climate.


  • 11 years ago

    Hang on a minute - you have all that in a single pot??? And what is a pot gallon pot? For starters Rhubarb can grow four feet across and is perennial. Note the leaf size compared with the compost bin. It would need at least a half barrel to itself.

    Asparagus is also a perennial which can be in place for years.

  • 11 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Yes, I have all of that in a five gallon bucket, lol. I put a bare root rhubarb, and asparagus in the bucket. It took a few months for a few asparagus to come up so I planted some bean and lettuce seed. Two months later asparagus ferns are popping up everywhere. Two rhubarb plants and I got tons of runner beans, along with the tiny herbs and vegetables growing underneath.

    I planted the pot for decoration. I wanted ferns and lush foliage. Now I have a mini forest in a pot. Going to see if it Will grow in a bucket next year. Would love to have a rhubarb like yours. Never even seen one that nice in our botanical gardens.

    This is from a month ago.

    This is now. The runner beans are now growing on the roof. There's three vines in there. Its an old paint bucket, I turned into a self watering type, lol.

    This is another mystery herb that popped up. It's really tiny three inch herb and it looks so nice near that small asparagus fern. The lettuce is getting powder mildew but these volunteers are pest free

    This is the planter today. Hope my plants get bigger this summer. Aside from the runner beans everything is pretty small.

  • 11 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    its real hard to tell but it looks a bit like CLEAVERS - galium aperine. thats the first one. if it is it would be sticky/hairy ...and it "cleaves" and grabs onto things. if so its a common "weed" but edible/medicinal....and may have come with the dirt you used.

    its harder to tell what plants are when they are small.

    pic ---> cleavers photo

  • 11 years ago

    I agree it is a Galium in the first picture. Your fingers and clothes will be able to identify "sticky willy" aka cleavers pretty young. It is not smooth and will cling to clothes...yes, it "cleaves" to them. Bedstraws and sweet woodruff are both smooth and not velcro-like so telling that difference should be easy enough.

    FataMorgana