What could be nicer than herbs from your own garden? Have you also planted the ground ivy weed? We explain how this is done.
Gunder ivy (Glechoma hederacea), sometimes also known as ground ivy, is a weed that you often find on wild meadows and along roadsides. Since this is an aromatic wild herb, you can also grow it in the herb garden. The great thing about it: in spring (April to June) the weed conjures up pretty, violet flowers and gives your wild herb garden a little more colour.
Cultivation of ground ivy
If you want to grow ground ivy in your garden, you have two options. Either grow the weed from seeds or transplant an offshoot.
Sow Gundermann
If you have decided to grow ground ivy from seeds, you can put them directly outdoors in the last days of summer. Alternatively, it is possible to prefer the ground ivy indoors and plant it outdoors in spring.
Gundermann from offshoots
Cultivation via offshoots is much easier than sowing the ground ivy. For example, you can plant a wild ground ivy shoot (individual shoots can grow up to 1 meter long) in soil that is as nutrient-rich as possible in your garden. The gondola vine will take root very quickly and will form runners after a short time. These form dense, flat carpets.
Tip: The ground ivy feels most comfortable in shady to semi-shady locations on nutrient-rich soil.
Since it grows quite well, you can of course plant the ground ivy as a ground cover, e.g. for greening large areas, for which it is ideally suited as an easy-care, extremely robust flowering plant.
Tip: So that the ground ivy does not spread too much, you should curb its growth in good time every year by pruning.
Watering and fertilizing Gundermann
The ground ivy is very robust outdoors. Here it does not need fertilization and it can cope well with both wet and dry phases. But the Gundermann is very goodsunny, but you should water it daily on very hot days. As a guideline for the correct measure, the first five centimeters of the earth, which should be moist, apply here.
Use of the ground ivy
The wild herb has an appetizing and digestive effect, which is why it is often counted among the medicinal herbs. But it is also often used in the kitchen. It is important that you only ever harvest the ground ivy for direct consumption.
Gundermann in the kitchen
You can use both the young leaves and the flowers of the ground ivy to prepare food. The wild herb has a piquant and slightly bitter taste reminiscent of mint. Its interesting flavor comes into its own in salads, herb butter or herb quark, for example. It also goes very well with oven and pan dishes.
Tip: Note that ground ivy has a very dominant taste and should therefore be used in moderation.
Gundermann as medicinal herb
Gundermann is rich in ingredients that make it interesting for naturopathy. This is how these
work- anti-inflammatory
- antioxidant
- promotes wound healing
- antispasmodic
- astringent
- antibacterial
- expectorant
- promoting expectoration
Because of this, the Gundermann can provide relief for various clinical pictures. It is mostly used to relieve cold symptoms, indigestion and mild stomach and intestinal problems. But the herb can also help with loss of appetite, inflammation of the skin or kidney problems.