Ground Ivy and Sweet Violet

Following on from my recent blog post on common weeds like Groundsel and Ragwort (here), I thought I'd feature a few more. They're not always edibles but it's nice to know what you're looking it (well, I think it is). 

I almost resent using the word 'weeds' as these are all wild plants with as much right to be here as any other. But humans tend to categorise plants by their usefulness or by their appearance. So 'weeds' are the plants we don't choose to grow in our gardens. All of which reminds me that I once heard someone - I can't remember who - describe gardening as 'removing all the plants that want to grow in my garden and replacing them with ones that don't'.

Ground Ivy (Glechoma hederacea) is a very common 'weed' but, to my mind, quite an attractive one - especially when those little purple-pink flowers open up in Spring and Summer and even into early Autumn if it's mild enough. Bees love them.

The issue that gardeners have with Ground Ivy is its ability to invade and smother large areas of ground - which is how it got its folk names of Creeping Charlie, Gill-over-the-ground, Lizzie-run-up-the-hedge and Run-away-Robin.

Despite acting like one, it's not an Ivy. It is actually a member of the Mint/Dead-Nettle family, which explains why its distinctive kidney-shaped leaves smell so aromatic. The plant has a lovely sage-like minty flavour and it can be used as a substitute for Thyme, Mint or Rosemary in cooking. Traditionally it was used to make ‘Gill tea’ which was an old cure for colds and fevers. To make it just add a handful of the leaves to boiling water and allow them to infuse before sweetening it to taste. 

They were also once used as a bittering agent for beer until Hops eventually replaced them. Hence another of their common folk names - Alehoof - due to its shape and usage.

The leaves are used raw in salads or cooked as a leafy green in some countries. The deep fried leaves are a lovely, crunchy garnish. However, it's important not to eat too many as they are mildly toxic and contain some compounds that can be irritants to the kidneys and digestive system if eaten in large amounts. 

The plant has a long history in witchcraft and was a favourite ingredient in spells and magic - probably because it grew so readily in graveyards, ruins and shady places. There is a superstition that states milkmaids should wear Ground ivy on their person to prevent enchantment to the cows, though this may be related to the fact that the plant can cause illness in cattle and horses as they would tend to eat it in very large amounts.

It can sometimes be mistaken for Sweet Violet (Viola Odorata) - also known as Wild Violet - but that has heart-shaped leaves that come to a point at the tip and are also hairy. Plus, the flowers are a quite different shape. Ground Ivy flowers have a funnel shape and look quite orchid-like: 

But Violets are more traditionally flower-shaped with five petals. These are arranged in a star shape with one petal pointing downwards:

The good news is that Sweet Violets are also edible so if you do mistake them for Ground Ivy - no harm done.  In the Victorian era, Violets were used in flavouring sweets, jellies and baked goods - I'm sure you've eaten Parma Violets sweets at some time in your life. 

They were the favourite candy of Ernst Stavro Blofeld in Ian Fleming's James Bond books. However, their popularity has declined and a 2005 survey reported by The Guardian revealed Parma Violets to be the least popular sweet among the Millennial generation. 

The flowers are often candied and used to decorate cakes. But they can be eaten raw and added to salads or used as a garnish. 

The sweet violet has a long and rather romantic history in European and Asian folklore. The ancient Greeks first used it to make perfume and the Romans to make wine. Ancient Britons used it for cosmetics. Medieval French troubadours used it to represent constancy in their tales of chivalrous love.

Josephine threw Napolean a posy of sweet violets when they first met. After he was defeated at Waterloo he was permitted to visit her grave one last time before he was sent to St Helena. He found sweet violets growing there and picked a few. Upon his death these were found in a locket around his neck. 

There is a legend that you can only smell violet flowers once - this is untrue, but has its basis in a quirk of evolution. Ionine, one of the chemicals that makes up the sweet violet’s scent, has the power to deaden the smell receptors once its been sniffed.