Wild madder

How to recognise it

Growth form

Evergreen perennial with square, scrambling or trailing stems of 0.5–2 m that hook onto other plants with their prickles.

Leaf

In whorls of 4–6, leathery, lance-shaped to elliptic, 2–6 cm, glossy dark green; the edge and the midrib underneath carry fine, hooked prickles.

Flower

Small yellowish-green star-shaped flowers of 4–6 mm with five pointed lobes, in loose clusters in the leaf axils, in June–August.

Fruit/seed

Glossy black berries of 4–6 mm, ripe in autumn and often on the plant into winter.

Roots

Creeping, reddish rhizomes.

Confusion with

Cleavers also has whorled leaves and hooks, but it is annual, soft and pale green, with tiny white four-petalled flowers and round, clinging fruits. Dyer’s madder dies back in winter and has thinner, less glossy leaves.

Flowering: June–August · Pruning: March

Why grow it?

• Evergreen: the glossy whorls of leaves keep a hedge or a bare wall foot green even in winter.
• Birds eat the black berries in autumn and winter.
• The small flowers are visited by tiny flies and other small insects.
• A plant with a colourful history: like dyer’s madder, it has red dye in its roots.
• An unusual climber for a natural hedge in a mild, sheltered garden.

Wild madder: where does it grow best?

• In the wild: hedges, scrub, woodland edges, cliffs and rocky slopes, often near the coast, in a mild maritime climate.
• Sun to partial shade; ideally with its base in the shade of a shrub.
• Well-drained, moderately dry to moist soil, often chalky or stony.
• In the garden: a sheltered spot in a hedge or against a sunny wall with shrubs, where it can climb; preferably with some shelter in harsh winters.

Goes well with

• Wild privet: A semi-evergreen shrub it can climb through, also with black berries.
• Holly: An evergreen shrub for support, with red berries beside its black ones.
• Ivy: Also evergreen: together they make a green hedge base in winter.
• Dog rose: A native rose with hips, which it likes to scramble through.

Wild madder: when and how to plant it?

1. Buy a plant from a nursery for wild or Mediterranean plants; never take plants from the wild, not even on holiday.
2. Plant in April–May, so the plant is well rooted before winter.
3. Choose a spot at the foot of a shrub, hedge or fence it can scramble into.
4. Plant at the same depth as in the pot in well-drained soil; mix heavy clay with coarse sand or gravel.
5. Water in dry spells during the first year; after that it copes fairly well with drought.
6. You can also sow: sow the seeds from ripe berries in autumn in a pot outdoors, so they get a cold spell.

Care

Water

Only in the first year, during dry spells. An established plant copes with a dry summer.

Feeding

Not needed: on poor soil it stays more compact.

Support

It hooks onto shrubs. Against a wall or fence, give it branches or mesh to climb.

Winter protection

In a severe winter it may freeze to the ground; a layer of leaves over the base protects the rhizome.

Spreading

It spreads slowly by rhizomes. Dig out runners at the edge if it goes too far.

Tip: Let it climb through a low evergreen shrub such as privet or holly: there it finds support and shelter from frost, and its glossy whorls of leaves stand out nicely.

Pruning and mowing

Pruning months: March.

When: In March, after the hardest frosts.

How:

• Cut frosted and dead stems back to healthy green growth or to the ground.
• You can shorten stems that are too long or tangled; they regrow from the base.
• Leave the berries on until the end of winter for the birds.

Caution: Wear gloves and long sleeves: the prickles graze the skin.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed

In autumn, take the seeds from ripe berries, clean them and sow at once in a pot outdoors. They germinate in spring after a cold winter.

Division

In spring, dig off a piece of rhizome with shoots from the edge and replant it elsewhere.

Wild madder: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −15 °C: protect young plants.

• Evergreen in mild winters: the leathery whorls of leaves stay on the stems.
• The black berries often stay on the plant into winter.
• Hardy to about −15 °C; in harder frost the stems are killed, but it usually regrows from the rhizome.

Diseases and pests

• Frost damage: Brown, frosted stems after a harsh winter. Cut back in March and wait for new shoots.
• Scratches: The prickles graze skin and snag clothes. Work with gloves.
• Wet soil: In heavy, wet soil the rhizome rots in winter. Make sure drainage is good.
• Smothering: Among tall, vigorous plants and rampant climbers it loses out. Keep its base fairly clear.

Through the year

• March: Cut back frosted or dead stems.
• April: Plant. New shoots start growing.
• May: Guide shoots towards the shrubs or mesh. Plant.
• June: Flowering begins.
• July: Flowering. Water young plants in dry spells.
• August: Last flowers; green berries.
• October: Black berries. Collect seed and sow outdoors.
• December: Evergreen leaves and berries for the birds. In hard frost, cover the base with leaves.

Did you know?

• ‘Peregrina’ is Latin for ‘foreign’ or ‘wandering’; in French it is called garance voyageuse, the travelling madder.
• Its close relative, dyer’s madder, was grown in Zeeland for centuries: a red dye for textiles was extracted from its roots.
• The prickles on its stems and leaves point downwards: they let it climb through shrubs without tendrils or aerial roots.