Ajuga

Botanical/Latin
   Ajuga

Pronunciation
   ah-Joo-gah

Common Name
   Bugleweed

Hardiness zone range
   3 - 8

General Comments
A great, low growing, ground cover with colorful, semi-evergreen foliage and showy erect flower spikes (usually in shades of blue but can be white, pink or lavender) in late spring and early summer.

Uses
As ground cover, Ajuga colonizes areas and forms a low carpet of attractive shiny foliage and massed flowers. They are vigorous plants and quickly form dense mats of spreading foliage, so it is a good way of reducing maintenance on sloping banks or beds around patios, ponds, pools or edges of streams, etc. The rambling habit is useful in container planting or on raised beds where they will cascade down over the edges making a good display, provided they are well watered. They are often planted along the edges of beds and borders where they make effective, informal carpets of color spilling out onto paths and driveways. In beds fronting onto grass areas, the rambling habit can spread into the lawn, so take care to maintain a good edge and weed out any invaders.

Light Preference
Light shade to sun. Where ample moisture is present, they will succeed in a variety of locations from sunny places, where the foliage takes on more intense coloring, to those challenging shady places under trees (In deeper shade, the leaves tend to be larger but the flowering is less prolific).

Culture
Thriving best in moist, fertile conditions, they respond well to the addition of humus or other moisture retaining media to the soil. This can be added at planting time or in established plantings, lightly sprinkled over the emerging growths in early spring. They spread by stolons (runners) that root into the surrounding soil and when conditions are right, they will quickly increase to form clumps that will withstand moderately dry conditions. Normal rainfall is usually enough to sustain them through dry summer periods but supplemental watering will revive them in times of severe stress and help keep the carpet lush and fresh looking.

Keep an eye out for reversion in variegated cultivars like A. 'Burgundy Glow'; occasionally a shoot will emerge that is all green (it is reverting back to the original species). If this happens, weed it out since it is much more vigorous and will eventually take over the clump, smothering the slower growing variegated plants. Clumps that become congested and begin to lose vigor can be revived with a light dressing of fertilizer applied in early spring or they can be lifted and divided (see Splendor Suggestions for details).

Background
Believed to have strong medicinal properties, the native species, Ajuga reptans, was gathered from moist meadows and woodland thickets by ancient apothecaries in Europe and Asia minor. Said to have an ability to stop bleeding, it is also called Carpenter's Herb, a reference to its use when a carpenter's skill was less than accurate.

Splendor Suggestions
Ajuga is easy to divide. In early spring or fall, dig out the clumps and pull apart into fist sized pieces, replanting into fresh or replenished soil. Another method to divide thick matted plants is to cut out pieces (like sod from a lawn) and transplant them.

Strong, healthy clumps flower with extra abundance, so a little extra care will pay handsome dividends.

Companion Plants
The dense, shiny mats of low ground cover make excellent platforms to display upright plants like Siberian and Japanese Iris; try the rich deep blue Iris sibirica 'Caesar's Brother' or the unusual combination of white and yellow Iris 'Butter & Sugar'; the upright spikes of Veronica 'Icicle' is another alternative. Spring flowering bulbs with pendulous heads like snowdrops, Galanthus nivalis, or Spring Snowflakes, Leucojum vernum. make nice early season partners. For a really striking combination, try the tri-colored foliage of Ajuga 'Burgundy Glow' with the spectacular blue of Corydalis 'China Blue'; combine this with the bold white variegated foliage of a Hosta like H. undulata 'Albomarginata' and a winning combination is created.

Height & Spread
4 inches x 24 inches (or more if the conditions are right)