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Bugleweed 'Chocolate Chip' (Ajuga reptans)

from $11.99

Botanical name: Ajuga reptans • Bloom season: Spring • Bloom color: Blue-violet

A tight, low mat of narrow bronze-chocolate leaves only a few inches tall, with short spikes of blue-violet in spring. It is the smallest-leaved ajuga and the best behaved. Bugleweed blooms early, when queen bumblebees are out looking for the first nectar of the season, and very little else is open.

Botanical name: Ajuga reptans • Bloom season: Spring • Bloom color: Blue-violet

A tight, low mat of narrow bronze-chocolate leaves only a few inches tall, with short spikes of blue-violet in spring. It is the smallest-leaved ajuga and the best behaved. Bugleweed blooms early, when queen bumblebees are out looking for the first nectar of the season, and very little else is open.

Size:

Plant Characteristics

Botanical Name: Ajuga reptans

Cultivar: 'Chocolate Chip'

Common Name: Bugleweed

Native: Non-native

Sun: Part Sun to Shade

Water: Moderate

Bloom Time: Spring

Bloom Color: Blue-violet spikes

Pollinators: Bees

Deer Resistant: Yes

Mature Size: W 12"-18" x H 3"-6"

Soil: Moist, well-drained; tolerates clay

Plant Type: Herbaceous perennial groundcover

USDA Zones: 3 to 9

Spread Habit: Spreads by runner

Available As: Live plant

Native Region: Not native to North America; origin Europe

Growing Notes

Part shade to full shade, and more moisture than most of this catalog wants. It will scorch in full sun, so use it on the north side of a building, under a tree, or anywhere the afternoon light does not reach. Good between stepping stones. Space about 10 inches apart, and it knits together in a season.

  • Water: Moderate

  • Sun: Part Sun to Shade

  • Soil: Moist, well-drained; tolerates clay

  • Mature size: W 12"-18" x H 3"-6"

Maintenance

Very low maintenance. Shear the spent flower spikes if you want it tidy. It travels by runner, so edge it once a year to keep it out of undesired areas. If a patch browns out in the middle during a dry spell, pull the dead section and the surrounding runners will fill back in.