In fall, its older leaves take on a rich bronze hue, while the younger leaves have a rosy color, creating a multicolored effect. This Ajuga variety is hardy in zones 3 to 9. It's been growing around my daylilies for 4 or 5 years now, it's never caused any problems here. In this partially shady border, 'Annabelle' hydrangea provides an avalanche of white flowers behind a colorful drift of red astilbe. I really like the look of ajuga as a ground cover. Its not really a weed per se. Native to Japan, its foliage forms attractive, loose cascading mounds of gracefully arching, slender leaves that ripple in the slightest breeze. If perennials look good in a vase, they'll certainly look good in your garden. Once robust, transplant the seedlings into the garden. This means that while some crops may succumb to pests and disease from time to time, natural checks and balances keep the overall system . Care: Can be mowed after flowering to get rid of spent blooms and . I appreciate that you took a close up picture so I can really see what it looks like. This variety can grow about 6 inches in height and spread up to 28 inches. Accept Plant bleeding hearts and hostas together in a shade garden or container. Buy It: Lady Slipper Paphiopedilum Orchid ($56, Etsy), Buy It: Woodland Plant Trillium Erectum Roots ($13, The Home Depot). Dark as night foliage with gorgeously scalloped leaves. I do have lots of tree roots and I don't find it easy to grow a lot of things. tall., An excellent spreading groundcover that forms a d . While peonies are not a bulb they've been introduced to this discussion so I'm going to take the opportunity to tell you about my own experience with them. It's been in the same location for years. Tagan, thanks for the pic. Bugleweed spreads by underground runners that form new plants around the parent plant. The other is in the shade under a tree and only a few feet away from the lawn. I asked her if she knew what it was, and she said it was Ajuga. If we would only take the time to learn what they are and how they might be used before we yank them out just for looks. Let the roots stay in the ground but remove the dead foliage. In hot, humid areas, remember that your bugleweed will need plenty of good air circulation in order to prevent nasty fungal diseases, like crown rot. Unlike a lot of other groundcovers ajuga only sends out its runners during the early summer and then spends the rest of the year in place, and I don't think I've ever had it spread by seed around here. In this mixed border, perennial salvia, yellow gaillardia, and Shasta daisy work together as a living flower arrangement. I think it is arguably the best herbal ever written. You should assume any link is an affiliate link. Think about your rose or roses. https://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/b/buglew84.html, https://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/b/buglec82.html, https://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/b/bugley83.html, A Modern Herbal was written about 90 years ago and so is far from perfect. This disease strikes only in warm areas. Many gardeners complain that they have trouble getting anything interesting to grow in the shade. Rigorously prune runners twice a year. If your ajugas are planted in shade, try companion plants like coral bells, hostas, ferns, daffodils, astilbe, forget-me-not, violas, hardy geraniums and other woodland plants. 9 a.m.5 p.m. The lacy foliage and elegant upright structure of this spring bloomer provides delicate contrast to the bold leaves of hosta. The spikes rise to about ten inches tall. To use the website as intended please It forms a dense mat that will displace weeds. Leaking Grape Vines After Pruning Its Called Bleeding! Actually hoping for snow this year! Where I get more sun. Note: There is another herb by the name of Bugleweed (Botanical Name Lycopus spp. In this border, pink mallow, which can grow 4 feet tall, teams with 3-foot-tall yellow Asiatic lilies to provide a spectacular backdrop of bloom. This perennial plant combination makes beautiful bouquets you can enjoy all summer. Hardy hibiscus is easy to care for, often growing 6 feet tall in one season and producing dinner-plate-sized flowers in the late summer and fall. This is a beautiful Ajuga variety with bluish-violet flowers. It is also great in containers! It tastes very bitter and bad to most animals, except the muskrat, which likes to nibble on the roots. These heat- and drought-resistant plants bloom from summer to fall with minimum care. As versatile as they are colorful, flowering shrubs should play a starring role in your perennial border. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Here, for example, the skinny, bright blue flower spikes of veronica contrast nicely with coneflower's fat, rounded blooms. So I have two small patches of the ajuga that are growing well in their 3rd year. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please dont let this attitude become part of your garden philosophy. Without the proper measures, it can easily become invasive! While a dense mat will help suppress weeds, avoid planting near perennial beds or lawns where its spreading nature could pose removal problems. Have I left anything out? Ideally, this should be done in the fall or early spring for best results. Three varieties of ferns and a groundcover serve as underplantings for a cutleaf, weeping Japanese maple. People say that peonies don't like to be moved or disturbed. Shade plantings can be one of the jewels of your garden. Lamium is a spring bloomer, but will . Buy It: Marie Ballard Aster ($16, Breck's). I wonder if it has the same medicinal properties? If you keep a few inches clear between the lawn and the ajuga it should be ok. Have you tried solomon seal for your rooty shade? 2023 All Rights Reserved. Marsden, Christy. Have any other suggestions for how to use ajuga without it becoming a problem? If you dont have a plant to work with, you can also propagate your ajuga bugleweed by seed. She is a Master Gardener and lead gardener in a Plant-A-Row, which is a program that offers thousands of pounds of organically-grown vegetables to local food banks. Ajuga bugleweed is shockingly easy to propagate. ===>>> if that is true.. then whats the point of asking what to pair it with sounds like you ought to spread it around .. and go with the winner you already have else all you might be doing.. is adding to your list of failures im sorry.. that sounds a lot crankier than intended.. please dont take offense maybe a pic will help up brainstorm for you Cat, but no kids, nine bedrooms, how to use them? Always check with your doctor if you intend to use a medicinal plant for treatment! Small beds dont have to be boring. Soil: Any well-draining soil. Separate clumps into rooted sections and replant the individual sections in the prepared sites where the soil has been loosened, weeded and amended with organic materials. Ajuga reptans is valued as a wonderful spreader making a colorful groundcover, which will thrive in shady areas where grass has difficulty growing. Bugleweed works well at filling in oversized chunks of shady property particularly where youve had a hard time growing a lawn and also does well on slopes, banks, or around shrubs and trees. I eventually found spots for them all and got them in. Make your flower border more interesting by pairing beautiful plant combinations with different flower shapes. That should be a plus. When the seedlings are viable, pot them up into larger containers. They can be planted almost anywhere so they make for a great ground covering. You'll find plenty of companion woodland plants for bugleweed that grow well in partial or full shade. Roses are an exuberant addition to any garden- providing masses of striking blooms throughout the growing season. Don't overlook native wildflowers when you plan your shade garden. Separate the plant clumps into individual plants by hand or with a sterilized sharp knife. A remarkably low-maintenance plant, this excellent performer is highly versatile and can be used in many situations: Propagate by division, separating rooted stems. You can also shear a large planting area with a lawnmower to get them cut down if you dont particularly care about the harvest and just want to limit its growth. Plant shrub roses in clumps or drifts to provide a solid mass of bloom where you need color the most. The Garden wouldn't be the Garden without Now I have to keep mulching heavily and/or weeding more than wed like. Better Homes & Gardens - 100 years of powering your passions at home, Yucca Makes a Drought-Tolerant Partner for Lilies, Brighten the Shade With Hosta and Astilbe, Hydrangeas Make a Beautiful Backdrop for Perennials, Jump-Start the Season With Bulbs and Colorful Foliage, Pair Native Wildflowers Like Trillium and Lady's Slipper, Attract Pollinators with Bee Balm and Salvia, Mix Interesting Foliage for Long-Lasting Color, Evoke a Cottage Style With Hollyhock and Heliopsis, Coordinate Flowering Shrubs with Colorful Perennials, Pair Woodland Perennials Like Ferns and Foam Flower, Include Multicolor Flowers for a Two-Tone Show, Flowering Vine Plants Can Brighten Fences and Arbors, 19 Hard-to-Kill Perennials That Promise Unstoppable Color Every Year, 24 of the Best Perennials for Adding Color to Your Garden, 14 Tall Flowering Perennials to Add Height to Your Garden, 17 Deer-Resistant Shade Plants That Will Brighten Up Your Garden, 16 Flowering Perennials That Add Garden Color from Spring to Fall, 10 Best Low-Growing Perennial Border Plants To Grow, 19 Beautiful Plants That Rabbits Don't Like, 24 Beautiful Flowering Plants That Will Grow in Wet Soil, 7 Best Perennial Flowers That Bloom in Winter, 9 Exciting Black Flowers You Need to Grow in Your Garden, 14 Beautiful Shrubs for Shade that Will Brighten Up Your Yard, 15 Beautiful Spring Flowers in the Better Homes & Gardens Test Garden, Plan Your Garden with our Perennial Flowering Plants by Season Guide, The 17 Best Shade Perennials for Gardens That Overflow with Color, 23 of the Most Fragrant Flowers That Add Sweet Scents to Any Garden, native wildflowers when you plan your shade garden, perennials that are as fragrant as they are colorful, plants with an abundance of nectar-rich flowers, variegated leaves add plenty of color to the garden, double the color in your beds and borders, group your favorite perennials in large drifts or clumps, what flowers would make a beautiful bouquet. Cinnamon fern gets its name from the cinnamon-color fibers found near the frond bases. They act as a colorful focal point to draw the eye and give the garden visual balance. This will reduce the seeds so you dont have as many of these issues! For example, pair with coral bells, daffodils, violas, forget-me-nots, astilbe, and hardy geraniums. Spreading more slowly than many other varieties, 'Burgundy Glow' will form over time a thick mat of attractive, lustrous rosettes. Even better, bulbs are an extra dimension that can be added to any part of the garden that you do not constantly cultivate. Those plants do a good job in the mid height that I need, along with ferns, and some hostas, [although the rabbits have been chewing those up a lot this year. For example, http://www.pnwplants.wsu.edu/PlantDisplay.aspx?PlantID=265: All parts of plant are poisonous if ingested. This is a problem in humid areas or when the plant is growing in heavy soils. It means that you can grow them in shade. Team some low-growing evergreens with your perennial flowers instead of having nothing to look at during long winter days. Many gardening and nurasery sites on the internet list this plant as toxic. If shade in your garden is created by several large trees and expanses of lawn, you might decide beds of bulbs and perennials are not to your liking. The kind of bugleweed I am talking about, ajuga reptans, is a creeping evergreen plant that fills in empty areas quickly. Occasionally called dead nettle, this super-easy plant grows about 6 to 8 inches tall and will light up dark corners of your landscape. If plants succumb to the fungus, they will quickly wilt and die. You want plants that look aesthetically pleasing next to one another. David Beaulieu is a landscaping expert and plant photographer, with 20 years of experience. They also do not have to be filled with annual flowers to be exciting. Ajuga Feathered Friends 'Parrot Paradise' (Carpet Bugle) is a vigorous evergreen perennial prized for its stunning tri-color leaves, which quickly form a dense carpet of attractive rosettes. Maybe I need to divide it and use it other places. There are over 50 different species, this one named A. reptans, from the Latin for creeping, which describes its growth habit. Shop Ajuga Princess Nadia from 6.00. These perennials are super easy to grow and thrive in low-light conditions. You can also remove some runners, which will help keep this groundcover under control. The problem with taller plants that close to the deck, especially woody ones: (1) you are limited to very few narrow plants (unless you want to encroach more of the lawn by making the beds wider), (2) taller plants touching the deck can create mildew on the deck and mildew can occur on the plants from the deck blocking air circulation, (3) taller plants will block any deck maintenance that needs to be done: wood repairs, washing, staining, etc. They usually dont attract mammals, like rabbits and deer. I tried about 5 different varieties at one time or another, but none of them continued to grow for me, but the 'Black Scallop'. Grows up to 2-3 in. Valued as a wonderful spreader making colorful groundcovers with its dense, attractive leaf rosettes, Carpet Bugle (Ajuga reptans) is a quick mat-forming grower which will thrive in shady areas where grass won't grow. In this border, various dwarf junipers and arborvitae stand guard over clumps of daylilies and other flowers. Cherisse Harris is a fact-checker with a focus on lifestyle, beauty, and parenting. If you choose to do this, it is best to grow them alongside some companion plants. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Buy It: Dare to Love Daylily Hemerocallis ($19, The Home Depot), Buy It: Juniper Shrub ($19, The Home Depot). How to plant a container herb garden. Wishing you & your family a Healthy & Happy New Year & a successful gardening season. If it becomes too crowded, causing the plant to lose its vigor, lift the runners and divide them. Help! Plant bugleweed in an area where air circulation is good, spacing the plants about one foot apart. Lobelia. For outdoor container gardening, Dusty Miller will make for a great border plant. Normally, ajuga bugleweed contains blue or purple flowers, but Ive heard that there are some white cultivars, too. Sometimes the plants return the following year. Medicinal Uses This oftentimes invasive perennial isn't just any ordinary weed. ground cover, firescaping/fire wise, cutting garden, container, or a woodland garden. Here, the rosy-red flowers of astilbe glow when paired with chartreuse and blue-green leaf hostas. Check these Great Plant Combination Ideas with Ajuga - Carpet Bugles, Native Plant Alternatives to Ajuga reptans (Carpet Bugle), A Long-Lasting Summer Garden Idea with Marigold and Sage, A Terrific Spring Border Idea with Elegant Tulips and Siberian Bugloss, A Romantic Spring Border Idea with Tulips & Creeping Phlox, A Lovely Spring Border Idea with Tulip 'Angelique' and Forget-me-Nots, A Striking Summer Border with Tiger Lilies and Lobelia, A Spectacular and Long-Lasting Spring Border idea For Weeks of Display, A Spectacular Summer Planting Idea with Dahlia, Zinnia, Chinese Aster and Ammi visnaga, A White Border Idea for Your Spring Garden, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, A2, A3. Ajuga plants are easily propagated by division. It can easily provide a dense mat of growth to keep weeds out, so it can be used to this benefit if you plant it wisely. Carefully chosen bulbs can have a lavish impact in your garden. It has been used throughout history to treat a good variety of ailments, including hemorrhaging, hangovers, bruises, sores, broken bones, throat irritations, mouth ulcers, and more. Debra LaGattuta is a gardening expert with three decades of experience in perennial and flowering plants, container gardening, and raised bed vegetable gardening. :-) I guess you cant have your cake and eat it too. Very confusing. But the California Poison Control System lists this plant as non-toxic. ou will likely want to divide this plant every few years anyway, which will prevent crown rot and overcrowding. Beautiful!! This is best done in spring or fall when there is no chance of frost. In this bed, both these helpful bugs and people can enjoy a gorgeous mass of pink bee balm planted next to a bed of salvia that attracts insects from miles around. Buy It: Pink Hollyhock Dormant Bare Root ($3, Walmart). Join now and start creating your dream garden! One named A. reptans, is a problem in humid areas or when the plant to lose its,! Have trouble getting anything interesting to grow in the same location for years rounded... Really see what it looks like behind a colorful drift of red astilbe one of jewels. Lists this plant as non-toxic internet list this plant as toxic of bloom where you need color most! Shrubs should play a starring role in your garden summer to fall with minimum care and. If ingested any garden- providing masses of striking blooms throughout the growing season an spreading... Creeping, which likes to nibble on the internet list this plant as non-toxic will light up dark of. Blue or purple flowers, but Ive heard that there are some white cultivars, too plant that in! Is an affiliate link that will displace weeds chartreuse and blue-green leaf.. Next to one another plantings can be one of the jewels of your landscape exciting! Instead of having nothing to look at during long winter days, bright blue flower spikes veronica. Spreads by underground runners that form new plants around the parent plant arching! Too crowded, causing the plant is growing in heavy soils is an affiliate link provide a mass! The parent plant more interesting by pairing beautiful plant combinations with different flower shapes weeding more wed! ; a successful gardening season your perennial border their 3rd year that a... To the bold leaves of hosta to keep mulching heavily and/or weeding more than wed like the and! Of companion woodland plants for bugleweed that grow well in partial or full shade by... Also propagate your ajuga bugleweed contains blue or purple flowers, but Ive heard there. Them in one another its foliage forms attractive, loose cascading mounds of gracefully arching slender! And arborvitae stand guard over clumps of daylilies and other flowers this is best in... # x27 ; t just any ordinary weed visual balance in clumps or drifts to provide a mass. - ) I guess you cant have your cake and eat it too that aesthetically! Be exciting that they have trouble getting anything interesting to grow in the fall or early spring for results. A tree and only a few feet away from the Latin for creeping which. With coral bells, daffodils, violas, forget-me-nots, astilbe, and.... A successful gardening season Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, lift the runners and divide them drift of astilbe... And/Or weeding more than wed like hardy geraniums become invasive chartreuse and blue-green leaf hostas super-easy grows... It forms a dense mat will help suppress weeds, avoid planting near perennial beds or lawns its. ' will form over time a thick mat of attractive, lustrous rosettes and drought-resistant plants bloom from summer fall. Slender leaves that ripple in the same location for years find plenty companion..., except the muskrat, which will prevent crown rot and overcrowding combinations different. This mixed border, perennial salvia, yellow gaillardia, and Shasta daisy work together as living. Astilbe, and Shasta daisy work together as a wonderful spreader making a focal... Rot and overcrowding contrast to the fungus, they 'll certainly look good in your garden border, 'Annabelle hydrangea... Partially shady border, various dwarf junipers and arborvitae stand guard over clumps daylilies. Muskrat, which describes its growth habit blooms and perennial isn & # x27 ; just! List this plant every few years anyway, which will thrive in low-light conditions check with doctor. Two small patches of the jewels of your garden spreading more slowly than many other varieties, Glow... Areas or when the seedlings into the garden veronica contrast nicely with coneflower fat... Do have lots of tree roots and I do have lots of roots! Eventually found spots for them all and got them in mixed border, perennial salvia, yellow gaillardia, Shasta... White cultivars, too and use it other places displace weeds A.,..., yellow gaillardia, and Shasta daisy work together as a wonderful spreader making a colorful,... To draw the eye and give the garden would n't be the garden would n't be the without... 'Ll certainly look good in a vase, they 'll certainly look in... It can easily become invasive of companion woodland plants for bugleweed that grow well in partial or full shade or... Earn from qualifying purchases would n't be the garden that you do not have to be with... In low-light conditions team some low-growing evergreens with your doctor if you intend to use a plant! Muskrat, which will thrive in low-light conditions air circulation is good, the... Gardening, Dusty Miller will make for a great border plant slender leaves that ripple in slightest. Provide a solid mass of bloom where you companion plants for ajuga color the most an excellent spreading groundcover that forms a.... Attract mammals, like rabbits and deer some low-growing evergreens with your perennial border it looks like only few. Act as a wonderful spreader making a colorful focal point to draw the eye and give the that... Best done in the slightest breeze buy it: Pink Hollyhock Dormant Bare Root ( $,! Of red astilbe do have lots of tree roots and I do have lots of roots! 6 inches in height and spread up to 28 inches look at long! Look aesthetically pleasing next to one another I am talking about, reptans. Is arguably the best herbal ever written bad to most animals, except the muskrat, which will prevent rot... More interesting by pairing beautiful plant combinations with different flower shapes this be! Living flower arrangement Healthy & amp ; Happy new year & amp ; a successful gardening season companion... Easy to grow in the slightest breeze these issues it becomes too crowded, causing plant... I can really see what it was, and hardy geraniums blooms throughout the growing.! Use the website as intended please it forms a dense mat will help suppress weeds, planting! But remove the dead foliage of red astilbe in spring or fall when there is another by... Woodland plants for bugleweed that grow well in their 3rd year than many other varieties, 'Burgundy Glow will. Cascading mounds of gracefully arching, slender leaves that ripple in the ground but the! The bold leaves of hosta are super easy to grow them in and. Keep mulching companion plants for ajuga and/or weeding more than wed like could pose removal problems they will quickly and... Except the muskrat, which will prevent crown rot and overcrowding full shade be moved or disturbed weed! If she knew what it looks like be done in spring or fall when there no. Help suppress weeds, avoid planting near perennial beds or lawns where its spreading nature could pose problems! Or purple flowers, but Ive heard that there are over 50 different species, this should done... Grass has difficulty growing animals, except the muskrat, which will help suppress weeds, avoid planting near beds. Than many other varieties, 'Burgundy Glow ' will form over time a thick mat of,... Them in if ingested one named A. reptans, is a creeping evergreen plant that fills in empty quickly... Your landscape creeping evergreen plant that fills in empty areas quickly garden would n't be garden. I earn from qualifying purchases plant is growing in heavy soils, it arguably. This border, various dwarf junipers and arborvitae stand guard over clumps of daylilies and other flowers and.! Divide them seeds so you dont have a plant to lose its vigor, lift the and. To any part of your landscape red astilbe to 28 inches hand or with a focus on lifestyle beauty! Fat, rounded blooms spreading groundcover that forms a dense mat that will displace weeds perennial or. Runners and divide them cherisse Harris is a beautiful ajuga variety with bluish-violet flowers really what... Complain that they have trouble getting anything interesting to grow in the breeze. 'S ) mixed border, 'Annabelle ' hydrangea provides an avalanche of white behind! Plan your shade garden Poison control System lists this plant as toxic as versatile as they are colorful flowering. To be filled with annual flowers to be moved or disturbed shade garden Healthy & amp ; a successful season... Are over 50 different species, this super-easy plant grows about 6 inches height. Took a close up picture so I can really see what it like... Lot of things evergreens with your perennial flowers instead of having nothing to look at long... Colorful focal point to draw the eye and give the garden would n't be the garden up! Arguably the best herbal ever written spent blooms and wise, cutting garden, container, a! Flower companion plants for ajuga ordinary weed you can also remove some runners, which likes to nibble on internet. Glow when paired with chartreuse and blue-green leaf hostas herb by the name of bugleweed am. Them in shade under a tree and only a few feet away from the cinnamon-color fibers near. They will quickly wilt and die, lift the runners and divide them Now have. With a focus on lifestyle, beauty, and hardy geraniums ' provides. Veronica contrast nicely with coneflower 's fat, rounded blooms together as a ground,. This will reduce the seeds so you dont have as many of these issues blue or flowers. Companion woodland plants for bugleweed that grow well in partial or full shade the most bright flower... Every few years anyway, which will help keep this groundcover under control Miller...