Pretty? Yes. Fragrant? Yes. Deadly to native wildflowers? Yes!
When choosing plants at the nursery this spring, please don’t buy sweet woodruff. In the photo at right you can see what it has done to our Whaleback Natural Area in certain areas—covered the forest floor, crowding out native wildflowers like trillium, jack in the pulpit, dutchman’s breeches and lady slippers. Gardeners who live in or near woods should know that this is a vigorous spreader that can quickly invade the surrounding woods, compromising its natural diversity.
