Rumex sanguineus
Bloody dock
Common names: Red-veined dock
At a glance
- Light
- Partial shade
- Spacing
- 25 cm, rows 30 cm
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- Sowing
- Mar, Apr, May, Aug, Sep
- Harvest
- Apr–Oct
- Hardiness
- Hardy down to −15 °C
- Water need
- Medium
- Origin
- Native to Germany
Photo: Hinko Talsma · Public Domain · Source
Description
Bloody dock (Rumex sanguineus) is a perennial herb with dark green leaves streaked by bright red veins, making it an attractive ornamental plant and a flavorful salad green. The young leaves taste pleasantly tart and are well suited for mixed salads or herb quark. Like all dock species, it contains oxalic acid, so it should be used sparingly as a condiment rather than a main dish. It thrives best in partial shade under light trees or on the north side of a bed, where the leaf color remains especially vivid. As a hardy wild perennial, it can tolerate a dry summer day without wilting.
Care instructions
Plant bloody dock in spring (mid‑April, weeks 16‑20) or late summer (August‑September) in loose, humus‑rich soil. Keep the soil consistently moist but avoid water‑logged spots. Regularly prune the leaves from the outside inward to encourage fresh growth and reduce flower heads. Remove flower spikes early if you prefer a lush leaf rosette over seed production; otherwise the plant will become floriferous. In winter the plant retreats and reliably regrows the following spring; a layer of leaf mulch protects the roots.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
SowingMar–May, Aug–Sep
HarvestApr–Oct
Germination
- Soil temperature
- from 8 °C, ideally 18 °C
- Days to sprout
- 7 to 14 days
- Light
- Needs light to sprout
- Sowing depth
- 0.5 cm
- How to start
- Sow straight into the bed
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
moist, humus-rich, nutrient-rich, loamy
Bloody dock likes it evenly moist and nutrient-rich, ideally in humus-rich, loamy garden soil. It tolerates waterlogging poorly, but it also lets you feel it when the soil dries out, as the leaves quickly turn bitter. A partly shaded bed with good water retention suits it best.
Feeding
Medium feeder
Months
Mar, May
In spring, bloody dock appreciates a dose of mature compost, worked shallowly into the top layer of soil. A mulch layer of leaves or grass clippings keeps the soil moist and steadily supplies new nutrients on the side. This undemanding perennial does not usually need more.
Overwintering
Bloody dock is hardy and simply retreats in autumn; the root gets through the frost in the soil without difficulty. A mulch layer of leaves protects the rootstock further and ensures it regrows quickly in spring. Cutting back the wilted leaves in late autumn is optional.
Propagation
Methods
- From seed
- Division
The easiest way is to sow bloody dock directly into the bed, from mid-April in mild weather or from March in a cold frame. Germination usually takes 1 to 2 weeks with even moisture. Older clumps can be divided in spring or autumn, which rejuvenates the plant and gives you new young plants at the same time. Bloody dock also likes to self-seed if you leave a few flower spikes standing.
For your garden
Grow Bloody dock yourself
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