Ajuga Plant

Ajuga plant – Ajuga reptans. Known for its dark green leaves and blue, purple, pink, or white flowers, the ajuga plant is a perennial herbaceous flowering plant known by many names, such as “bugle,” “carpetweed,” the “St. Lawrence plant,” and even as the “carpenter’s herb” because in traditional medicine it was believed to help stem bleeding. The plant, which is native to the woods and rough pastures of Ireland and Great Britain, is commonly used as a groundcover in the partially shady areas of many gardens due to its quick, dense growth, tendency to smother out weeds, and easy upkeep. Ajuga Plant spreads into dense mats of attractive foliage topped with whorls of flowers in white, pink, violet or blue that arrive from May to June. The leaves themselves come in many shades of green, purple, cream mottled with pink or bronze. Because it grows full than it is tall, ajuga makes an excellent ground cover, both for its good looks and for its suppression of weeds. It grows via underground stolons, and its botanical name means “creeping.” Though it does prefer moist, fertile soil, it can do well in dry soils. For the best foliage, the plant should be placed in an area where it gets at least three to four hours of sun a day.

Ajuga is a fast grower and is easy to grow. It needs little care, but in hot and humid climates the plants need to be arranged so that air can circulate freely around them. If the ajuga plants become too crowded, they can be divided in the spring or fall, and they should be cut back when the flowers fade to highlight the beautiful foliage. When planting, put the plants 6 to 9 inches apart. Ajuga can tolerate the depredations of rabbits and deer and can be planted near black walnut trees, which often poison other plants. It’s an ideal plant for those shady areas where few plants with pretty flowers will grow. Ajuga also beautifies slopes and banks and provides beautiful regions of color around shrubs and trees. For gardeners who don’t want large areas of the plant, it does well in containers and rock gardens.