Not the plant you're looking for? Search over 300,000 plants

Herbaceous Perennial

Galium mollugo

hedge bedstraw

A scrambling, grassland perennial to 1m tall, producing whorls of six to eight green leaves and smooth hairless stems, and clusters of sweetly scented, small star-shaped white flowers produced from the leaf axils, from late spring to summer

Other common names

false baby's breath
great bedstraw
see moresticky grass
whip tongue
white bedstraw
white madder
wild madder

Save to My plants

Buy this plant

Plant nurseries
3 suppliers

Ultimate height

0.5–1 metres

Time to ultimate height

2–5 years

Ultimate spread

0.5–1 metres

Chalk

Clay

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained, Well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun
Partial shade

Aspect

East–facing or North–facing or South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Exposed or Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Rubiaceae
Native to the UK: Yes
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Clump forming
Genus: Galium can be annuals or perennials, with weak, sometimes scrambling stems bearing whorls of narrow leaves and usually terminal panicles of small, white or yellow flowers
Name status: Correct
Plant range: Eurasia

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in any, preferably moist, humus-rich soil in sun or part shade; may spread freely with the potential to become a nuisance

Propagation

Propagate by seed in containers in a shaded cold frame, as soon as ripe. Propagate by separating rhizomes in autumn or early spring

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Wildflower meadow
Wildlife gardens

Pruning

No pruning required

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

Generally disease-free

Get involved

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.