Jan–MarApr–JunJul–SepOct–Dec
Planting
Days to maturity
Seasonal yields
Sow indoors · Direct sow · Transplant outdoors
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Plant · P-164
Carpet Bugle
Ajuga reptans
Carpet Bugle forms a fast, dense, rooting mat that thrives in dry shade - the hardest niche on most properties to fill, since dry ground under an established canopy defeats almost everything else. From early spring through summer it sends up 4 to 6 inch blue-violet flower spikes that are an early, scarce nectar source for bumblebees, hummingbirds and moths, and deer tend to leave it alone. It spreads readily by rooting stolons, which is ordinary vigor rather than a problem, but its one real weak point is a fungal crown rot that can melt away a large, uniform planting in humid weather - broken into smaller patches with air circulation around them, it holds up far better.
Record at a glance
Growing profile
- Sun
- Full Sun · Partial Sun · Shade
- USDA zone
- USDA 3–10
- Soil
- Sand · Loam · Clay
- Moisture
- Dry · Well-Drained · Moderate · Wet
Vertical layer
Groundcover- Soil pH
- 5.5–7.5
- Plant type
- Perennial
- Mature height
- 6–9 in
- Mature spread
- 6–12 in
- Plant spacing
- 6–9 in
- Root type
- Stolon
- Spread pattern
- Root
Keep exploring
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The deeper layer
Plan what comes next.
- Primary
- Locked ecological function
- Secondary
- Locked ecological function
- Byproduct
- Locked ecological function
Behind the record
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