groundcover
Sweet woodruff
Galium odoratum
Preview: plant data is awaiting horticulturist review. A professional horticulturist hasn't reviewed our plant table yet. Lists still follow fixed rules for zone, sun, pets, deer and invasive status.
Hardy in zones 4–8, Sweet woodruff is a fast-growing groundcover. Expect 6–9 in of height and 1–1.5 ft of spread; our lists space it 1 ft apart. It does best in part shade to shade with average water. Expect white flowers in May. In a FloraVista list it usually plays the edge role: a low plant that finishes the front edge. Deer usually leave it alone, and it is toxic to dogs and cats. Our rules leave it out of lists in Florida and the Gulf, Texas and the South-Central states and the Desert Southwest, where summer heat, humidity or mild winters hold it back even inside its zone range.
Facts from our plant table
- Botanical name
- Galium odoratum
- Plant type
- Groundcover, herbaceous
- Hardiness zones
- 4 to 8
- Sun
- Part shade (2–4 hours); Shade (under 2 hours)
- Water
- Medium
- Soil
- Moist, humus-rich soil.
- Mature size
- 6–9 in tall × 1–1.5 ft wide
- Spacing
- 1 ft apart (centre to centre)
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Bloom
- May · white
- Roles in a bed
- Edge
- Styles
- cottage, classic
- Deer resistance
- High: deer rarely eat it
- Pets
- Toxic to dogs and cats. Contains coumarin; no ASPCA entry found. Marked toxic until reviewed.
- Native to
- Not native to the US (or a garden hybrid)
- Pot size and price
- 4-inch pot, typically $4–$7 (sometimes stocked)
- Plant in
- Spring or Fall
- First-year watering
- Water deeply once or twice a week through the first summer, more in heat; keep the soil evenly moist but not soggy. Established plants need water only in dry spells.
- Pruning
- Pull runners that leave the bed.
Sources: Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder; state extension service fact sheets; ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant list; Rutgers NJAES deer resistance ratings; state extension service; Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States; state noxious weed and invasive plant lists; US garden-centre and home-improvement retail listings (general knowledge, 2026 estimate). Not yet reviewed by a horticulturist.
Good companions
The plants our list engine most often puts in the same bed as Sweet woodruff, across the sun, zone, pet, deer and style combinations it fits.
- Astilbe 'Fanal'Astilbe × arendsii 'Fanal'perennial · zones 4–8
- Bee balmMonarda didymaperennial · zones 4–9
- Japanese sedge 'Evergold'Carex oshimensis 'Evergold'ornamental grass · zones 5–9
- Hardy geranium 'Rozanne'Geranium 'Gerwat' (Rozanne)perennial · zones 5–8
- Smooth hydrangea 'Annabelle'Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle'shrub · zones 3–9
- Bigleaf hydrangea 'Endless Summer'Hydrangea macrophylla 'Bailmer'shrub · zones 5–9
If you can't find it
Substitutes our engine offers for Sweet woodruff: same role in the bed, passing the same rules.
How this page was made
This page was generated from this plant's record in FloraVista's plant table by fixed rules. The companions and substitutes come from the lists our rules engine composes. No named expert has reviewed this page.
Data status: the plant table is awaiting review by a horticulturist. Check each plant with a local nursery or extension office before you buy.
Sources
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, state extension services and the USDA PLANTS database (zones, size, sun, water, bloom, native range)
- ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists (dog and cat toxicity)
- Rutgers NJAES and regional extension deer-resistance ratings
- State noxious-weed and invasive-plant lists and the Invasive Plant Atlas of the US
- Typical US garden-centre listings (pot size and price band)
Generated . How FloraVista chooses plants