Bugleweed or Carpetweed

(Lamiaceae [also known as Labiatae] - Mint Family)

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• Form
  • small- to medium-sized, herbaceous semi-evergreen groundcover
  • assumes a 2" to 4" tall groundcover effect in Summer, Autumn, and Winter, but rises to 10" tall when in flower in mid-Spring
  • prostrate mat growth habit
  • medium growth rate (at its perimeter, by runners that root)

• Culture
  • partial sun to full shade
  • prefers moist, well-drained soils of average fertility in partial shade, with regular watering during the hot and dry periods of Summer; however, it is adaptable to more harsh conditions, including poor soils and heat
  • propagated by transplanting of daughter plants from rooted runners, or by crown division
  • Mint Family, with crown rot under extremely wet conditions and plant dieback under extremely prolonged, dry conditions being the only two significant problems
  • commonly available in flats or containers
  • flowering stalks may be sheared off or weedwacked off after bloom to enhance the foliage effect
  • surface-rooting perimeter runners are easily removed if this is done a couple of times each year, as the rooting is slow and shallow, but removal is much more difficult if left unattended for a year or more, as the density and invasiveness of the runners will give rise to many daughter plants at the perimeter of the original planting, including invasion into lawn areas

• Foliage
  • evergreen to semi-evergreen light green, dark green, bronzed, purple, or variegated leaves, depending upon cultivar
  • leaves radiate from the crowns and are obovate and slightly pubescent
  • leaves on flowering stalks are small and sessile
  • fall color is unchanged for green or variegated types, but bronzes heavily for other types

• Flowers
  • blue, purple, pink, or white, depending upon cultivar
  • small flowers on dense upright inflorescences create a colorful carpeted effect during the peak blossom period in May and June, and attract many bees
  • the lower petal is like a forked tongue emerging from the remainder of the corolla, while the green calyx is hirsute
  • flowering stalks are square with small opposite leaves

• Fruits
  • ornamentally inconspicuous, as small brown seeds on the persistent fruiting stalks

• Twigs
  • not applicable

• Trunk
  • not applicable

• ID Summary
  • lush clumps of obovate basal foliage emerge from the numerous crowns in the colony, and may be green, bronzed, or variegated, and are semi-evergreen in Winter; flowering stalks rise in Spring and usually have small blue or purple flowers, attracting many bees

• Function
  • foundation, bed, planter, edging, or entranceway groundcover for shady conditions

• Texture
  • medium-fine texture
  • thick density

• Assets
  • evergreen to semi-evergreen carpet of low, dense foliage
  • carpet of small flowers arrayed densely on vertical inflorescences in late Spring

• Liabilities
  • planting will slowly invade beyond its originally intended boundaries by rooting runners, including adjacent lawn areas and perennial beds
  • variegated forms will slowly revert to green or bronzed foliage forms unless the non-variegated sports are periodically removed
  • foliage wilts and shrivels under drought conditions
  • flowers attract many bees in May and June
  • mass planting may die out (due to crown rot) under prolonged wet conditions in poorly drained soils

• Alternates
  • Spring-flowering traditional groundcovers (Lamiastrum galeobdolon 'Variegatum', Lamium maculatum, Lysimachia nummularia, Sedum acre, Vinca minor, Waldsteinia ternata, etc.)
  • Spring-flowering perennials that can double as groundcovers (Aurinia saxatilis, Iberis sempervirens, Phlox subulata, Saponaria ocymoides, etc.)

• Habitat
  • zones 4 to 8
  • native to Europe

• Variants
  • Ajuga reptans 'Bronze Beauty' - bright green-bronze foliage turns glossy deep purple in Autumn and Winter
  • Ajuga reptans 'Burgundy Glow' (also known as 'Burgundy Lace') - pink, white, and green variegated foliage, which will develop sports with time and revert back to a form identical to 'Bronze Beauty', unless these sports are periodically removed
  • Ajuga reptans 'Catlin's Giant' - foliage almost twice as big as normal, becoming more popular for its medium-bold texture
  • Ajuga reptans 'Metallica Crispa' (also known as 'Cristata') - bronzed foliage is small and crinkled, resembling miniature dark spinach, but is not as vigorous as other cultivars, often listed under the species Ajuga pyramidalis

• Translation
  • Ajuga translates as "without yoke" (this meaning is uncertain).
  • reptans translates as "creeping", referring to its spreading runners.

• Purpose
  • Bugleweed is a Spring-flowering semi-evergreen groundcover with several foliage color and flower color variants.

• Summary
  • Ajuga reptans is a slowly invasive prostrate groundcover with attractive vertical spikes of flowers in late Spring, and semi-evergreen foliage for year-round interest.