PlantFiles: Bugle, Bugleweed, Carpet Bugle
Ajuga reptans 'Valfredda'

Love, love, love this plant as an under planting with hydrengeas. It is a good contrast with the dark leaves and the spring blue flowers are charming. I do clean mine up a bit after flowering, but it is a very neat-weed stopping-easy to divide-lovely plant. Great pass-along plant too, will handle abuse and still keep thriving.

I purchased this to cover a specific area that gets way too much water from the gutters and was all sandy & rocky-it has grown like a champ and has the prettiest chocolate & dark green variegated coloring that looks nice with the purplish flowers in the spring-can't wait for it to spread more!! Will post pics in the spring

Bought one small plant from a nursery late last summer but never got in planted and it got real rootbound. So i divided it into six small pots and kept it in my minimally heated greenhouse all winter. Planted it in the spring and it just took off! Beautiful, easy groundcover.

A very cute little Ajuga, also called Dwarf Bugleweed. It spreads quickly and can take some foot traffic. My information says it is hardy in zones 3-10.

In Minneapolis Zone 4

Valfredda tends to have some central rot issues from our wet spring weather but it quickly refills into a nice tight clump. See my photo of this plant... several years in this garden and on wet springs the center dies back but the edges quickly fill back in and continue spreading outward, though slowly and more compact by comparison to other ajugas. Flowers in the cooler spring and fall weather here.

EXTREMELY easy to propagate. The tiniest little offset or single division will quickly grow into a 3 to 6 inch clump within a growing season when planted in moist loamy soil.

Have had much success in full sun or shade.
One of my favorites.

Portland, Oregon. I have only had this little charmer for a year but I love it. I have it in full sun in deep loamy well draining soil and I water it well every third day. It is low to the ground and is beautiful even when not in bloom. I have moved some around and they are shallow rooted and very easy to manipulate if you want to control their cover. Becomes very dark and dense and is a beautiful contrast for yellow verigated plants. A winner in my book!

I've had great success with this groundcover here in the brutal Houston, Texas environment. It has survived my 'fit and forget', 'trial and failure' style of gardening. It has thrived in a south facing bed with varied shade. Very happy in shade and partial shade but struggles a bit where receiving a lot of the brutal texan sun. However, seldom gets extra water from me and has effectively tolerated some significant dry spells. Have managed to cover a large area, starting with just 6 plants by splitting at regular intervals within just two years.

If you didn't like your mother's or grandmother's Ajuga, you will love this one. Tiny leaves, great "chocolate" colored leaves. Grows quickly and gives a fine textured groundcover for underplanting just about anything.

Needs SUN to maintain its chocolate coloring! Drought tolerant once established.

This cultivar was discovered at the Valfredda Nursery in Italy and was marketed as 'Chocolate Chip' for a couple of years.

Has rosettes of oblong deep green leaves that first emerge as a brown-purple colour. Bears spikes of light blue, two lipped flowers.

Flowers April - June

Loves a well drained but slightly moist soil in light or partial shade, the leaves will burn in full sun.

This cultivar has smaller leaves and rosettes than other cultivars and suits an alpine garden without becoming a big problem. It also requires drier soil than the other cultivars as the rosettesw rot easily when it's damp.

Spreading, miniature chocolate foliage with shining, lacy blue flowers. A true natural dwarf. Shade to sun.