Carpet Bugleweed Plant

To keep the plant under control rigorously prune runners twice a year.

Carpet bugleweed plant.

Ajuga reptans black scallop carpet bugle is a creeping perennial prized for its short spikes of fragrant deep blue flowers and very glossy near black scalloped leaves. The common name for the hardy perennial ajuga is bugleweed. Space new plants 6 inches apart in shade to part shade. Cut off the flower spikes in late summer after the flowers have faded.

Blooming in late spring to early summer the flowers rise above the contrasting spreading rosettes formed by the leaves putting on an eye catching display. Caring for carpet bugle plants. Leaves may be green bronze dark purple or variegated green white and pink. Plant this perennial where its invasive qualities are welcome such as on a bank or under trees.

To shear back a large area of bugleweed use a lawnmower set to a high blade height. This fast growing plant spreads by runners and is. Ajuga reptans is also a component of purple moor grass and rush pastures a biodiversity action. Plants are easy to divide at any time of year.

Department of agriculture zones 4 through 10a. Runners develop from the mother plants take root and produce new plants similar to the growth habit of strawberries. Ajuga reptans aka carpet bugleweed creeping bugleweed creeping carpet bugle sicklewort and carpenter s herb offers such striking texturally rich foliage in a broad range of colors including an almost black that gardeners are constantly seeking this perennial groundcover. The plant also likes fairly moist soil but is remarkably adaptable and will even tolerate a little drought.

There are over 50 different species this one named a. Once established ajuga plants requires little care. It typically flowers from late spring to mid summer. Carpet bugleweed grows rapidly by producing mats of foliage in rosettes.

The genus was assigned by linnaeus from the latin for not yoked which refers to a certain part of the flower. Good drainage is essential lest carpet bugleweed fall victim to a disease called crown rot. Adapted to usda zones 3 8. Unless it s really dry ajuga can usually sustain itself with normal rainfall and there s no need to fertilize this plant.

Ajuga reptans is commonly known as bugle blue bugle bugleherb bugleweed carpetweed carpet bugleweed and common bugle and traditionally but less commonly as st. How to grow bugleweed. Lawrence plant it is an herbaceous flowering plant in the mint family native to europe it is invasive in parts of north america. It is known as bugle weed and the more ground hugging species were the carpet bugles.

How to grow ajuga plants in your garden gardener s hq guide to growing bugleweed ground pine and carpet bugle. Reptans from the latin for creeping which describes its growth habit.