# Ground ivy: where to plant it, care and price

> Ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea) is a native ground cover 15 to 60 cm tall with blue-violet flowers. Where it fits, what it costs and what can go wrong.

Canonical: https://tuinontwerp.app/en/blog/ground-ivy
Last updated: 2026-09-27

*Glechoma hederacea*

![One low mat of ground ivy in an otherwise empty bed of wood chips in front of a wooden fence in early May, with round scalloped leaves and small blue-violet flowers](https://tuinontwerp.app/images/blog/hondsdraf-1af94694.webp)

Published: 2026-09-27

Ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea) is a native ground cover from the mint family.
Its stems creep over the soil and root as they go. That builds a low mat of
round leaves with scalloped edges. From April to June, small blue-violet
flowers appear in it. The plant wants sun or partial shade and soil with some
humus.

## Ground ivy at a glance

| Feature | Ground ivy |
| --- | --- |
| Height | 15 to 60 cm |
| Spread | 10 to 50 cm per plant, creeps further |
| Full grown after | 2 to 5 years |
| Sun | Full sun to partial shade |
| Soil | Moist to moderately dry, with humus |
| Water | Average |
| Maintenance | Low: cut back runners when needed |
| Flowers | April to June, blue-violet |
| For bees | Yes: nectar, April and May |
| Hay fever | Not or weakly allergenic |
| Leaves | Stay green |
| Hardy | Yes |
| Native | Yes |
| Poisonous | No, as far as is known; poisonous to horses |
| Pricks or stings | No |
| Price, young | About €2.58 to €4.99 each, 5-10 cm, in a small pot |
| Price, grown | Not for sale |

- **Leaf**: all year
- **Flower**: April to June
- **Fruit**: no noticeable fruit

![A round, kidney-shaped ground ivy leaf with a heart-shaped base and a scalloped edge, among other small leaves of the mat](https://tuinontwerp.app/images/blog/hondsdraf-leaf-e7b67ff2.webp)
*Leaf*

![Two blue-violet two-lipped ground ivy flowers in a leaf axil, with dark purple spots and white hairs on the lower lip](https://tuinontwerp.app/images/blog/hondsdraf-bloom-b1e05000.webp)
*Flower*

## How do I recognise ground ivy?

Start with the leaves. Each one is kidney-shaped or nearly round, with a
heart-shaped base. The edge is scalloped, and every leaf sits on a stalk.
Leaves grow in opposite pairs, often with a faint purple tinge. The whole plant
has a strong, herby smell.

The stem is square and creeps over the ground. At every node it puts down new
roots. Short, hairy flowering stems rise from the mat.

Each flower is two-lipped and 1 to 2 centimetres in size. The flowers sit in
small groups of one to six, where ordinary leaves join the stem. The upper lip
is notched at the tip, and the lower lip has three lobes. A single flower gives
at most four small nutlets. Once they are ripe, the calyx bends down and the
nutlets drop out.

Note a look-alike, bugle (Ajuga reptans). That plant also makes runners and blue
two-lipped flowers. Its leaves, however, are spoon-shaped, with a smooth or
wavy edge. Bugle carries its flowers in whorls stacked one above the other,
with bracts that are sometimes tinged blue. Nurseries also sell variegated
ground ivy. That is a cultivar with a white edge along the leaf.

## Where does ground ivy grow best?

Ground ivy grows in full sun and in partial shade. Partial shade means three to
six hours of direct sunlight a day around midsummer. The plant copes with soil
from moist to moderately dry, and from moderately poor to rich in nutrients, as
long as it holds some humus. In the wild, look for it in deciduous woods, along
hedges and woodland edges, on road verges and in shady lawns.

In two places, ground ivy mainly makes work for you:

- **Right beside a lawn that has to stay neat.** The runners root at every node
  and so creep in among the grass.
- **Poor sand that dries out completely.** Ground ivy wants soil with humus,
  which holds on to some moisture.

In winter the leaves stay green, often with a purple sheen.

On a plan of your own plot, you draw the spot where a low mat like this has
room. The app draws the plant at a grown plant's width, not at pot size.

## Planting and caring for ground ivy

Nurseries sell ground ivy as a young plant in a small pot. Planting works all
year round, as long as the ground is not frozen or waterlogged. Space the
plants about 30 centimetres apart, roughly 11 per square metre. At first you
see a lot of bare soil between them. Runners close those gaps by themselves.
Keep the soil moist in the first year, especially after a summer planting.

| When | What to do |
| --- | --- |
| All year, when needed | Cut off or pull out runners that go too far |
| Spring or autumn | Dig up a mat that has grown too big and divide it into pieces |

From March through July, many bird species are nesting. Where the mat grows
under a hedge, look for a nest there before you cut.

## What goes wrong with ground ivy?

**The mat creeps into the lawn.** That is the nature of the plant: every
stem roots where it touches the soil. Pull the runners loose and cut a clean
edge between bed and grass with a spade. Some gardeners weed ground ivy out,
while others keep it as a ground cover.

**There are holes in the leaves.** Slugs and snails are often the cause. The
damage is cosmetic, and the mat keeps growing. Diseases are rare on ground ivy.

**In summer the leaves hang limp.** The soil has become too dry. Water
thoroughly, until the soil under the mat is wet as well.

**Few flowers appear.** The flowers sit on the upright stems. Mowing the strip
in April or May removes them, so leave the mat alone in those months.

## Which insects and birds use ground ivy?

The narrow-bordered bee hawk-moth (Hemaris tityus) visits ground ivy flowers.
That moth flies in May and June. In the dunes, the grizzled skipper (Pyrgus
malvae) drinks nectar from ground ivy. The caterpillar of the pale shoulder
(Acontia lucida) feeds on ground ivy, but that moth is very rare in the
Netherlands.

The potter flower bee (Anthophora retusa) collects pollen from ground ivy. This
wild bee has also become very rare.

> **Did you know?**
>
> The potter flower bee was long thought to visit almost nothing but ground ivy.
> A study of its pollen showed otherwise. Only 34 percent of it came from ground
> ivy.

No fixed link between ground ivy and any particular bird species has been
described.

## Is ground ivy poisonous?

Ground ivy is not known to be poisonous to people. That does not make the plant
edible. For horses, though, ground ivy is strongly poisonous. Even a small
amount can make a horse ill. That rarely happens when a horse has enough other
food.

The photos on this page were made with AI, based on real photos and descriptions of this plant.

## Frequently asked questions

### How tall does ground ivy grow?

The leaves stay low to the ground. With the flowering stems included, ground ivy grows 15 to 60 centimetres tall.

### Does ground ivy spread?

Yes, the plant spreads. The stems creep over the ground and root at every node. Cut or pull back the runners where the mat goes too far.

### Is ground ivy poisonous?

Ground ivy is not known to be poisonous to people. That does not make the plant edible. For horses, though, ground ivy is strongly poisonous: even a small amount can make a horse ill.

### How much sun does ground ivy need?

Ground ivy grows in full sun and in partial shade. Partial shade means three to six hours of direct sunlight a day around midsummer.

### Is ground ivy native to the Netherlands?

Yes. Ground ivy is an original native of the Netherlands and a common species here, in woods, on road verges and along hedges.

## Sources

- [Duistermaat, Sparrius & Denters, Standaardlijst van de Nederlandse flora 2020 (Gorteria 43)](https://natuurtijdschriften.nl/pub/1019223)
- [NDFF Verspreidingsatlas — Glechoma hederacea](https://www.verspreidingsatlas.nl/0582)
- [Flora van Nederland — Hondsdraf](https://www.floravannederland.nl/planten/hondsdraf)
- [Flora van Nederland — Kruipend zenegroen](https://www.floravannederland.nl/planten/kruipend_zenegroen)
- [RHS — Glechoma hederacea (ground ivy)](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/8034/glechoma-hederacea/details)
- [RHS — Glechoma hederacea 'Variegata'](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/71551/glechoma-hederacea-variegata-v/details)
- [BSBI Fermanagh Flora — Glechoma hederacea](https://fermanagh.bsbi.org/glechoma-hederacea-l)
- [Heijnen Planten — Glechoma hederacea 'Variegata'](https://www.heijnen-planten.nl/hondsdraf-glechoma-hederacea-variegata-5-10-pot-p9)
- [RHS — Shade gardening (definities zon en schaduw)](https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=934)
- [RHS — Planting perennials](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/types/perennials/planting)
- [Imkerpedia — Drachtplanten](https://www.imkerpedia.nl/wiki/index.php/Drachtplanten)
- [Pollennieuws / Flora van Nederland — Aandachtspunten hooikoorts vriendelijke tuin](https://www.pollennieuws.nl/post/?permalink=aandachtspunten-hooikoorts-vriendelijke-tuin)
- [PFAF — Glechoma hederacea](https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Glechoma+hederacea)
- [De Vlinderstichting — Hommelvlinder](https://vlinderstichting.nl/vlinder/hommelvlinder/)
- [De Vlinderstichting — Aardbeivlinder](https://vlinderstichting.nl/vlinder/aardbeivlinder/)
- [De Vlinderstichting — Bleekschouderuil](https://vlinderstichting.nl/vlinder/bleekschouderuil/)
- [EIS Kenniscentrum Insecten en Landschap Erfgoed Utrecht — Zwarte sachembij minder kieskeurig dan gedacht](https://www.naturetoday.com/intl/nl/nature-reports/message/?msg=33765)
- [Vogelbescherming — 'Onkruid' te lijf, zonder gif](https://www.vogelbescherming.nl/actueel/bericht/onkruid-te-lijf-zonder-gif)
- [Vogelbescherming — Snoeien in het broedseizoen, mag dat?](https://www.vogelbescherming.nl/actueel/bericht/snoeien-in-het-broedseizoen-mag-dat)
- [Regionaal Landschap Lage Kempen — Risicoplanten voor paarden](https://www.paarden.vlaanderen/userfiles/file/pages/FOLDERrisicoplanten-voor-paardenwebcompressed.pdf)
- [Heijnen Planten — Hondsdraf (planttijd)](https://www.heijnen-planten.nl/hondsdraf-glechoma-hederacea-5-10-pot-p9)
- [Planta — Glechoma hederacea (prijs)](https://www.planta.nl/glechoma-hederacea)
- [Vijvermeester — Hondsdraf (prijs)](https://vijvermeester.nl/hondsdraf.html)
- [KwaliteitsPlanten — Glechoma hederacea (plantafstand)](https://www.kwaliteitsplanten.nl/glechoma-hederacea)
- [Wikimedia Commons — Leaf: photo by Ksd5 (CC0)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Glechoma_hederacea_leaves.JPG)
- [Wikimedia Commons — Flower: photo by AnRo0002 (CC0)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:20150421Glechoma_hederacea1.jpg)

## Read next

- [Lesser periwinkle: where it grows, planting and care](https://tuinontwerp.app/en/blog/lesser-periwinkle) - Lesser periwinkle (Vinca minor): an evergreen ground cover 15 to 30 cm tall for shade. Where to plant it, what it costs and what to do when it goes wrong. (2026-09-23)
- [Common ivy: where it grows, pruning and what it feeds](https://tuinontwerp.app/en/blog/common-ivy) - Common ivy (Hedera helix) is native to the Netherlands, stays green and climbs over 20 metres on a tall support. Where it fits, what it costs, what goes wrong. (2026-09-22)
- [Common bugle: planting, care and price](https://tuinontwerp.app/en/blog/common-bugle) - Common bugle (Ajuga reptans) is a native ground cover 7 to 30 cm tall that stays green in winter. Where it fits, how to plant it and what a plant costs. (2026-09-28)
- [More about ground cover](https://tuinontwerp.app/en/blog/category/plants/vaste-planten/bodembedekkers)