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Galloping Ground Covers

© Marge Talt

AJUGA (Bugleweed)

I have a love-hate relationship with Ajuga reptans. In my USDA zone 7 garden, it makes sheets of dark blue-purple flowers in May. That's when I love it. Then, after flowering, it extends runners with a tuft of leaves at the end. These root down when they touch soil. It also seeds madly. A month or so after bloom, I turn around to find it has encroached, once again, into the gravel drive and it is trying to engulf pet plants here and there. That's when I start to hate it and rip it out by the bucket full.

There are about 40 species of annual and perennial herbs that belong to this family. Of these, A. reptans (rated hardy from USDA zones 3 - 10) and A. pyramidalis (rated hardy from USDA zones 2 - 9) are the two most commonly seen in gardens. The cultivar 'Metallica Crispa' belongs to A. pyramidalis. I've never grown this one, which is a clump former, not a spreader. A. reptans has a number of cultivars, of which I grow:

• A. reptans, the species, which looks like this photo of A. genevensis;
• A. reptans 'Bronze Beauty', my favorite of rampant ones;
• A. reptans 'Burgundy Glow', which is not as rambunctious as the species. The foliage is truly lovely, but I really don't care much for the light blue flowers, which just look washed out. I have to keep an eye on this to make sure it isn't swamped by the species;
• A. reptans 'Variegata', which is really not very robust. The gray-green and white variegated leaves are lovely, the flowers a washy blue. It requires a special spot and some observation since it does not have the stamina to fight it out with pushy neighbors.

Except for the last two on my list, Ajuga will grow just about anywhere. It's often listed as a groundcover for shade and it will tolerate partial shade. But, if you plant it in a really shady spot, it will just move to more light. I believe that it really wants full sun and highly organic soil that remains moist. If you give it that, it will reward you with full cover, shiny foliage and lots of flowers. In shade, the soil needs to be moist or it will be a skimpy plant and will not fill in enough to keep weeds at bay. It will tolerate and survive in dry shade, but it won't be really happy. Since I have so much of it, I am sure it will find a spot in my new garden.

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