Ajuga

Ajuga make excellent ground cover plants for shaded or partially shaded sites, particularly where the ground is moist. They have a dense, spreading habit and can quickly carpet a large area.

A few are annuals, but those grown in gardens are mostly evergreen or semi-evergreen perennial varieties.

The foliage of some ajugas have a metallic sheen, but for added colour choose plants that are tinted bronze, purple-red or splashed with cream and pink.

From late spring and until early summer, the mats of foliage are covered with short spikes of flowers, mostly in shade of blue or mauve.

Varieties: -


Ajuga. pyramidalis	Form: Semi-evergreen creeping, mat-forming, perennial Height: 6in (15cm) Spread: 18in (45cm) Foliage: Forms a creeping carpet of spoon-shaped, deep green leaves. Flowers: Producing spikes of whorled, two lipped, blue flowers in spring. "Metallica Crispa" has dark blue flowers, held over crisp, curled leaves with a bronze metallic sheen

Ajuga. reptans	Form: A semi-evergreen creeping, mat-forming, perennial Height: 15in (38cm) Spread: 24in (60cm) Foliage: Has large, oval, toothed or slightly lobed dark-green leaves, sometimes suffused with purple. Flowers: Producing spikes of whorled two-lipped flowers in spring.

Ajuga. reptans 'Atropurpurea'	Form: An evergreen, ground cover perennial Height: 6in (15cm) Spread: 36in (1m) Foliage: Small rosettes of bronze-purple leaves Flowers: Short spikes of blue flowers

Ajuga. reptans 'Jungle Beauty'	Form: A semi-evergreen, mat-forming perennial. Height: 15in (38cm) Spread: 24in (60cm) Foliage: Has large, oval, toothed or slightly lobed dark-green leaves, sometimes suffused with purple. Flowers: Producing spikes of whorled two-lipped flowers in spring.

Ajuga. reptans 'Multicolor'	Syn: Ajuga. reptans. Rainbow Form: An evergreen, mat forming perennial. Height: 5in (12cm) Spread: 18in (45cm) Foliage: Dark-green leaves, marked with cream and pink. Flowers: Spikes of small blue flowers appear in spring.