Plant Encyclopedia: Ajuga

January 11, 2018 by Kasi Smith 1 Comment

Plant Care Basics

Contents

1 Grow Zone Recommendation: Ajuga grows in USDA growing zones 4 to 10. It is categorized as a perennial.

2 Sunlight Needs: For sunlight, ajuga will generally grow in varying conditions, from full sun to complete shade.

3 Watering Needs: Ajuga will thrive best i soil that is well-drained and moist. However, it can also handle drought-like conditions and drier soils. You don’t want it to get too wet, as this make ajuga prone to crown rot.

4 Average Size: This plant is pretty small in stature. It grows to under 6 inches tall and spreads from 6 to 18 inches wide.

5 Foliage Color: The foliage is blue-green or burgundy-purple. It’s blooms, which appearing spring, may be purple, white, pink, or blue, depending on the specific variety.

6 Must Know Plant Care Tips: Ajuga is a low-maintenance plant. It grows vigorously by sending out plenty of horizontal roots, or stolons, that grow outward from the main plant. Each one will take root and form another crown, making a nice little colony. The leaves are short and close together, and the stolons grow densely together. This helps keep weeds at bay, but it can become invasive. It’s usually considered a ground cover, but doesn’t like a lot of foot traffic. It is a member of the mint family.

7 Plant Problem Solver: While not a replacement for grass or turf, ajuga is a very good ground cover that grows close enough together that you might find few weeds. If you don’t want something that spreads, you probably don’t want to plant ajuga. It is pretty deer resistant, and provides good erosion control on a sloped landscape. In milder growing zones, you might find it staying green all year long.

8 Pretty Pairings: Great companion plants for ajuga include hosts, ferns, astilbe, daffodils, forget-me-not, coral bells, and geraniums.

8.1 You can purchase an Ajuga plant here.

Grow Zone Recommendation: Ajuga grows in USDA growing zones 4 to 10. It is categorized as a perennial.

Sunlight Needs: For sunlight, ajuga will generally grow in varying conditions, from full sun to complete shade.

Watering Needs: Ajuga will thrive best i soil that is well-drained and moist. However, it can also handle drought-like conditions and drier soils. You don’t want it to get too wet, as this make ajuga prone to crown rot.

Average Size: This plant is pretty small in stature. It grows to under 6 inches tall and spreads from 6 to 18 inches wide.

Foliage Color: The foliage is blue-green or burgundy-purple. It’s blooms, which appearing spring, may be purple, white, pink, or blue, depending on the specific variety.

Must Know Plant Care Tips: Ajuga is a low-maintenance plant. It grows vigorously by sending out plenty of horizontal roots, or stolons, that grow outward from the main plant. Each one will take root and form another crown, making a nice little colony. The leaves are short and close together, and the stolons grow densely together. This helps keep weeds at bay, but it can become invasive. It’s usually considered a ground cover, but doesn’t like a lot of foot traffic. It is a member of the mint family.

Plant Problem Solver: While not a replacement for grass or turf, ajuga is a very good ground cover that grows close enough together that you might find few weeds. If you don’t want something that spreads, you probably don’t want to plant ajuga. It is pretty deer resistant, and provides good erosion control on a sloped landscape. In milder growing zones, you might find it staying green all year long.

Pretty Pairings: Great companion plants for ajuga include hosts, ferns, astilbe, daffodils, forget-me-not, coral bells, and geraniums.

You can purchase an Ajuga plant here.

Comments

Fran says

January 17, 2018 at 8:35 pm

Invasive,invasive,invasive!!!

Reply

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