Galium verum
Lady's bedstraw
Common names: Yellow bedstraw, Cheese rennet
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Spacing
- 30 cm, rows 40 cm
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- Sowing
- Mar, Apr, May, Sep
- Harvest
- Jun–Aug
- Hardiness
- Hardy down to −20 °C
- Water need
- Low
- Origin
- Native to Germany
Photo: Peter Andersen · CC BY 4.0 · Source
Description
Galium verum, commonly known as lady's bedstraw, is a low‑maintenance meadow herb that produces fine, bright yellow flower spikes from June to August. The flowers emit a honey‑like fragrance. The plant prefers lean, sunny sites and was historically used in cheese production, which is reflected in the name "cheese rennet." It is attractive to bees and other pollinators, making it a valuable component of pollinator-friendly gardens. While traditionally used in teas, there is little scientific evidence supporting medicinal effects.
Care instructions
Select a sunny to partially shaded location with lean, well‑drained soil; nutrient‑rich soil tends to cause the plant to grow more languidly. Water sparingly, as the plant tolerates drought better than waterlogging. After late‑summer flowering, prune to keep the growth compact and encourage a richer bloom the following year. The plant readily self‑seeds, so it is well suited to meadow edges or wildflower corners where it can spread freely. It is hardy in winter and requires no special protection.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
SowingMar–May, Sep
HarvestJun–Aug
Germination
- Soil temperature
- from 8 °C, ideally 15 °C
- Days to sprout
- 14 to 35 days
- Light
- Needs light to sprout
- Sowing depth
- Press in, don't cover
- How to start
- Sow straight into the bed
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
well-drained, lean, lime-loving, dry
Lady’s bedstraw likes it lean and free-draining, preferably on poor, chalky soils like those you know from dry meadows and wayside verges. It cannot tolerate waterlogging at all, and a sunny spot with sandy or stony ground suits it best. On nutrient-rich garden soil it does grow too, but then quickly becomes soft and flowers less abundantly.
Feeding
Light feeder
As a wild plant, lady’s bedstraw needs no additional feeding; on the contrary, a lean site produces the most compact and freely flowering plant. If your soil is nutrient-rich anyway, you can occasionally work in some sand or gravel to make it leaner. You should use compost or other organic fertilisers here sparingly, if at all.
Overwintering
As a robust native perennial, lady’s bedstraw dies back in autumn and reliably shoots again in spring. It needs no winter protection in a free-draining spot; cold, wet soils in winter affect it more than frost. In spring you can simply cut back the dead shoots before the new growth comes.
Propagation
Methods
- From seed
- Division
The easiest way is to sow bedstraw directly outdoors, best in early spring or in autumn, because the seeds are cold-stratification seeds and germinate better after a cold spell. Press the fine seed down only lightly and cover it thinly with soil; light also promotes germination. Established clumps can also be divided in spring, which quickly gives you strong new plants. Self-seeding is common in this species, so watch out for unwanted spread in the bed.
For your garden
Grow Lady's bedstraw yourself
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