Monday, April 19, 2010

Ground Ivy

Clusters of purplish-blue flowers hang from the greenery of ground ivy. It's growing close to the foundation of the house and I am stunned by the beauty of these tiny flowers and with the square stem. Were you aware that some plants have square stems? It is a member of the mint family and considered an aromatic herb, although it does not smell 'minty'. It has been called ale hoof and was used as a seasoning in the brewing of ale in Germany. Gill-Over-The-Ground is the french name for this plant, gill meaning fermented ale in french. I think that stripped of their greenery they could masquerade as orchids.


  1. The most interesting story. I have something like that and I always called it Periwinkle. Maybe I better look up periwinkle.

  2. We call it Creeping Charlie here, and it's invasive! It can take over the whole yard if left alone, smothering the grass. That's exactly what it did in our backyard. Sorry, I just had to warn you about it! It's such a shame, because the little flowers are really quite lovely!