PlantFiles: Bugle, Bugleweed, Carpet Bugle
Ajuga reptans 'Bronze Beauty'

Got this beautiful ground cover at a local nursery a week or so ago... Planted it in a nice shady area and looks like the babies are already starting to root, however something is eating it? Was my understanding that nothing would eat it but something is eating mine... Any suggestions would be greatly appriciated.
Well I have discovered what was eating it, its SLUGS and they do love it... put in a beer trap and have over 100 of the little varments.

This is a pretty, carefree ground cover that enjoys a prominent spot in my garden. It forms a nice dense mat of foliage that most weeds will not penetrate. Excessive spreading or invasiveness has not been a problem for me; ajuga has not tried to "jump" the rock edging on my garden.

My only complaint about ajuga is that it looks mushy, dead and unattractive until later in the spring. Has been slow to wake up for me.

Although this plant can be quite attractive, it is not advisable to place it in a "dedicated" flower bed -- it can become very invasive and quickly crowd out other species. In addition, it is also susceptible to Southern Blight, a soil -borne fungus which is fairly common in the soils of the lower south. Docturf

New to gardening last spring (2006) I planted Ajuga in a 100 ft. long area between the street and my sidewalk along the side of my house. I have had quite a different experience with it than listed above.

First of all, I do allow the soil to dry out on occassion and it has flourished. My Ajuga is still flowering into September as I trim back the spent stalks about once every couple of weeks.

I recently began removing some of the mulch I laid around the plants initially to allow the plant access to the soil for rooting purposes. The mulch I used was pretty 'chunky' and in some cases the run off plants were unable to reach the soil and root. The parent plant apparently shuts them down once they are formed. I was constantly removing dead run offs.

I plan on mowing the area down in late fall. This past spring many of my plants struggled to get out from under the rather dense, crusty remains of last years growth and several of them died. I think the fact that I live on a corner city lot that experiences a lot of wind had something tio do with this. The Ajuga I planted a small patch in front of my house didn't have the same problems.

Loves dense clay soil! The longer I have it, the more I love it. It's so easy and low-maintenance. It fills in its area with crinkly bronzey foliage so well. Slugs and other pests leave it alone so it's always attractive.

I have this cultivar mixed with the burgundy cultivar in my back garden. I've found it to be a (welcomed) aggressive little addition as it helps keep weeds down. The blue flowers in mid May are a welcome addition to the spring flowers and the whole plant dies back down to the leaves once the other flowers take over.

I find it holds up well to foot traffic when I have to go through the garden to weed. It transplants well and is a very useful plant. I have this in an area that is moist to dry, depending on the year - it lives on equally well in either situation.

This little groundcover will quickly spread into the lawn, so a wide edging is recommended. The hummingbirds love the pretty blue flowers, but out of bloom it's not very outstanding. Not tolerant of drought or foot traffice, but does form a dense, weed-proof mat.