Are you looking for an impressive ground cover for your garden? The common hazel root not only convinces with its interesting foliage.
Thanks to its ornamental, kidney- to heart-shaped leaves, the common hazel is one of the loveliest ornamental foliage plants among the ground covers. In its culture, the perennial is relatively robust and easy to care for. In addition, the plant also has useful qualities, but these should literally be taken with a pinch of s alt.
Hazelroot Properties
The common hazel root (Asarum europaeum), also known as Native hazel root, reaches a growth height of just 5 to 10 cm. It forms a dense carpet of leaves just above the ground. It has an extremely decorative effect due to the special nature of the leaves. The mostly kidney-shaped leaves shine in a strong dark green, which makes the carpet of leaves shine all year round. The leaf surface is also traversed by net-like leaf veins, which give the leaves an ornamental look.
| Hazel root (Asarum europaeum) | |
|---|---|
| Growth: | flat, creeping, rhizome forming |
| Growth: | 3 - 15 cm |
| Growth: | 20 - 25 cm |
| Flowering: | March to April |
| Location: | Penumbra |
| Floor: | fresh, well-drained, rich in humus, calcareous |
Asarum europaeum - poisonous and medicinal plant in one
Many medicinal substances made the common hazel root an important medicinal plant in ancient times. However, healing with Asarum europaeum also has its downsides. Because numerous active ingredients in the plant have a healing effect in moderate doses, however, in excessive doses the healing effect is reversed and the plant's own ingredients develop their toxic effect.
➔ Hazel root - ingredients with healing properties
Up until well into the 18th century, the rhizomes of Asarum europaeum were used as an emetic. Because the essential oils of the plant roots are considered to stimulate vomiting. Well-known healers, such as Dioscorides, wrote theNative hazel root also has a warming, diuretic, analgesic and menstrual effect. In homeopathy, the herb is still part of the potency D3 against evening flushes, exhaustion and cold hands.
Both the leaves and the roots of hazel root have a spicy aroma that tastes of pepper. In the Middle Ages, the plant was therefore also used as a kitchen herb. The plant's own active ingredient Asaron is responsible for the peppery smell of the perennial. The spicy asarones are repeatedly used as an important ingredient in bitters and liqueurs.
Asarone is also credited with the antispasmodic effect of Asarum europaeum, which is said to help with menstrual cramps and painful abdominal cramps. Another reason why common hazel root played an important role in the folk medicine of many peoples.
➔ Caution, danger of poisoning!
Despite their healing effect, ⍺- and β-asarone also have a high potential for poisoning. In various studies, carcinogenic properties were also noticed if the dose of β-asarone was too high. A targeted food additive of β-asarone is therefore prohibited in the EU. Only incidental traces of the substance may occur in food. A maximum of 1.0 mg/kg applies here as a guideline.
There are a few other toxic substances in the native hazel root that can be released in the event of an overdose
- Respiratory Paralysis
- intestinal bleeding
- Diarrhea
- uterine bleeding
- stomach pain
- Inflammation of the mucous membranes
- Nausea and Vomiting
Common hazel root in the garden
The possible uses of the common hazel root in the garden are very versatile. Apart from the apothecary garden, the herb is mainly found in natural garden concepts such as natural gardens or forest gardens. The same applies to forest cemeteries, where the shrub is used as undemanding grave planting. The native hazel root is also perfect as a green covering for embankments and slopes. Furthermore, the plant is often counted among the perennials that feel at home in the rock garden.
The crimson to brown funnel-shaped flowers of hazel root also have a certain ornamental value.Not only do they set beautiful color accents amidst the green foliage during the flowering period from March to May. In addition, the hazel root flowers smell wonderful and attract so many beneficial insects such as bees or bumblebees. The ornamental leaf plant is therefore ideal as a border for other beneficial willows.
The shade garden is an ideal location for the native hazel root. The situation is similar in garden locations with little sun, which are rather unsuitable for light-hungry plants. The evergreen perennial conceals bare beds all year round and even adorns the shady locations with decorative autumn leaves in winter. This turns slightly reddish in the winter months, which conjures up rare color accents in the garden in the cold season.
Things to know:
The common hazel root owes its name to the fact that it particularly likes to grow under hazelnut bushes. This shows the good suitability of Asarum europaeum for underplanting larger shrubs and for greening areas under tall trees. Their light shade is not at all a problem for the plant in view of its location requirements.
Location for Hazelwort
According to its name as native hazel root, Asarum europaeum is primarily native to Germany and Europe. Here it prefers to grow in damp, nutrient-rich and calcareous forest locations. Appropriate soil conditions are therefore also desirable in the garden. sandy-loamy or sandy-clayey substrates are recommended. The optimal soil pH value is 8 to 10 in the alkaline range.
The native hazel root hardly minds the cold, as it is used to European winters and hardy to -29 °C. A special winter protection is therefore not required. As already indicated, the native wild plant should be planted in shady to partially shaded locations. Otherwise, their delicate leaves could easily burn in the blazing sun. Good planting partners for Asarum europaeum are other shade perennials such as
- Ferns
- Bellflowers
- Hepatica
- Lily of the Valley
- March Mug
- Woodruff
Plant common hazel root
Step 1: Like most perennials, the common hazel root is planted in spring. It is best to choose a frost-free day in May - after the ice saints.
Step 2: Deeply loosen the soil at the site for Asarum europaeum. Remove all of themGround obstacles and weed residue from the substrate. For basic fertilization, some humus, peat and/or compost can be worked into the soil. Lime powder should also be spread on very damp locations.
Step 3: Common hazel root grows comparatively slowly and takes about two years to become well established at the site. Their growth width of 20 to 25 cm is also manageable. Per square meter you can confidently plan 10 to 20 young plants for a compact carpet of plants. The optimal planting distance for Asarum europaeum is 20 cm.
Caring for common hazel root
➔ Pour and fertilize the common hazel root
Immediately after planting, the native hazel root is generously watered. But once the hazel root has settled, it is incredibly easy to care for. It even tolerates temporary dry phases very well if the location is only shady enough. Watering is therefore only carried out when there is no natural precipitation for a long time. This also applies to the winter months, when plants that are too dry are watered on frost-free days.
For orientation, it is enough to regularly check the soil for moisture. If the substrate appears very dry, you should water it. Because the common hazel root is a lime-loving plant, you can also use calcareous tap water for irrigation.
Tip: Spread a fresh layer of mulch around the root area every two years. This protects the soil from evaporation and also keeps weeds away.
Mature compost or leaf humus can be used to fertilize common hazel root. In principle, additional nutrients are not necessary for the hazel root, but can be done to support the establishment of the location and the joy of flowering.
Pruning common hazel root
As the common hazel root grows very slowly, it does not overgrow the garden bed. A cut is therefore basically not necessary. Only withered leaves and dead plant parts should be removed regularly. This keeps the plant he althy and will sprout vigorously again the following year. Plant diseases can also be avoided in this way.
Propagating common hazel root
The easiest way to propagate Asarum europaeum is by dividing the roots. However, you should wait until the plant has fully settled into the location. Therefore, perform a root division at the earliestafter the second, better only after the third year. Alternatively, propagation by self-seeding is relatively common for common hazel root.
➔ Propagate hazel root by self-seeding
Asarum europaeum automatically sows itself after the seeds have ripened. This usually takes place in June. Fake flowers, which are very similar to mushrooms in their properties, attract fungus gnats, which pollinate the flowers and thus contribute to the ripening of the fruit. The ripe capsule fruits then sow between July and August. Ants, which are attracted to the elaiosome in the plant seeds, are regarded as helpers in self-seeding. It should be borne in mind that it can take up to two years for the seeds to germinate.
➔ Propagating hazel root by root division
The roots of the common hazel root are divided in spring before new growth. Then carefully dig up the plant, remove the soil from the rootstock and divide it into two equal parts with a sharp knife. The sections can then be replanted immediately.
Hazelroot - Diseases and Pests
The roots of the common hazel root are not entirely harmless in view of their poison content. However, the peppery smell created by the plant's ethereal compounds also has its merits. Pests such as voles or flies are successfully kept away by it. Unfortunately, snails are magically attracted to the tasty leaves of the perennial.
There are different ways to deal with a plague of snails on Asarum europaeum. Some leave it at that to collect the mollusks regularly. With the dense carpet of leaves that the plant forms, this can quickly become very tedious. It is therefore more effective to deploy a conventional snail defense, such as the popular snail fence.
Alternatively, some organic snail remedies can also be recommended. These include coffee grounds, begonia manure and alum water. The latter can be easily made from 40 g of potassium aluminum sulphate, which is often used in the garden to dye hydrangeas blue. Available in every pharmacy, just mix the potassium aluminum sulphate with 10 liters of boiling water and then spray the plants infested with snails with the solution.