'Chocolate Chip' Bugleweed (Ajuga)
Perennial
- Appealing maroon foliage adds color & texture.
- Spikes of bright blue flowers in early summer!
- Super low-maintenance flowering ground cover.
- Dense habit spreads nicely & controls weeds.
- Zones 4-9, sun/part sun/shade, 3" tall x 12" wide at maturity.
ZONE
EXPOSURE
HEIGHT
Description
Buying landscape plugs? Here is how much area they will cover:
- 6" spacing of 32 landscape plugs covers 6 sq feet
- 8" spacing covers 7.5 sq feet
- 10" spacing covers 11 sq feet
- 12" spacing covers 16 sq feet
Details
Common name: Bugleweed, carpet bugle, bugle, ground pine, carpenter's herb
Zone: 4 - 9
Sun exposure: Sun (> 6 hours sun), part-sun (4-6 hours sun), shade (< 4 hours sun)
Soil type: Average
Soil Moisture: Average to moist
Height x width: 3" x 12"
Flower color: Dark blue and violet
Foliage color: Burgundy and chocolate
Season of interest: Late spring
Bloom time: Spring, summer
Features: Rabbit resistant, heat tolerant, drought tolerant, ground covers, deer resistant, cold tolerant, best for beginners
Uses: Container gardening, edging, ground cover, rock garden, stepping stones, small spaces, slopes
How to Grow
Light: Will grow in full sun or shade, but the best foliage color usually occurs in part-sun locations (at least 3-4 hours of sun per day).
Water: Easily grown in average soils.
Spacing: Space plants 6-9" apart, but be careful to not plant too deep. The crown should never be covered with soil, or the plant may rot.
Fertilizing: Ajugas seldom need fertilizing. Over-fertilizing can encourage crown rot.
Winterizing: No specific care is needed.
Maintenance & pruning: Every couple of years, thin out crowded groupings to reduce the chance of crown rot. Pruning is not required but can be done to rejuvenate foliage after flowering. Larger plantings may be mowed if they become unruly. Plants can be propagated by dividing established clumps in the fall or early spring.
Plant spacing is based on the ultimate width of the plants. This figure is normally given as a range; for example, 3-5’. If you live in a cold climate and/or want plants to fill in more quickly, plan to space at the shorter end of the range. If you live in a warm climate, are on a limited budget, or are willing to wait longer for plants to touch, use the higher end of the range. Using the larger number is recommended when calculating distance from a building or structure. There’s really no such thing as "maximum spacing": if you don’t want your plants to touch, you can space them as far apart as you’d like. All plant spacing is calculated on center, or in other words, the centers of the plants are spaced one half of their eventual width apart:
Unless you are planting in a straight line, as you might for hedges or edging, space your plants in a staggered or zig-zag pattern for a more interesting and naturalistic look:
Not sure just how many plants will fit in your garden? Our calculator gives you the exact amount of plants required for your space. Simply update the values and the calculator will re-calculate accordingly. Spacing information can be found in the 'How to Grow' tab on each plant's page.
The Chocolate Chip Ajuga is awesome. One of my best growers. New to my garden this year. It did not disappoint. Will be adding more next spring.
Last year, I ordered a flat of the Chocolate Chip Bugleweed to put into a small garden bordering our deck. I planted them at one of the closer spacings, and they took off and looked great all last summer! I just took a picture of what they look like now after less than a year - that's the pic with the blue flowers. I was SO happy with them that I made another little garden on the other side of our deck this spring, ordered another flat (which came beautifully packaged), and planted them yesterday (that's the pic with the little plants). I thought you might like to see the comparison! The garden with the blue flowers looked exactly like the new planting less than a year ago. What a fantastic plant!
Growing very nicely under pine trees in very heavy shade. Critters are leaving it alone (unlike most other things this year). Very pleased and can't wait to see the blooms next spring! Thank you!!!
Planted 32 landscape plugs, in 6b, about 11 months ago. They are finally starting to grow a bit. I hope they fill in over the next few years. Very interesting-looking up close!
Purchased some in 2021 and then additional plants in 2022. All 10 plants have exceeded expectations. I'm using as a border for a flowerbed.
I ordered 2 trays and not only did I receive them within a week, they packaged each tray separately in a protective netting and each in a different box to avoid them getting smashed. Super healthy plants ready to be planted. Couldn't be happier with this purchase!
I ordered the plugs last March. These are the results after just one year and it was a hot one in Texas. Can't wait for them to fill in to give me a mass of Spring blue.
Planted spring of 2022 as well as 2023. They have surprised me as to how much they have grown in that time. I couldn't be happier.
I ordered 4 of these to be a filler/groundcover for my new berm and all arrived healthy. One of them is even blooming already (in late summer)! I did not expect any blooms this year, so that is a happy surprise!
It was very disappointing to open up the box and see the plugs with almost no plants. Some of them were hanging soaking wet and melting already as if they had been exposed to a lot of water. Just a very sad set of plugs. Do not recommend it.
Hi Silvia, We apologize you received your plants not up to our standards. As we try our best to provide exceptional service, some factors like shipping and handling are outside of our control, and issues like this can sometimes happen. Please email pictures of the plants to [email protected]. Rest assured, we do have a 60 day guarantee on all of our plants. If you received your plants within that timeframe, we will be happy to apply your warranty once we receive the pictures. Happy Gardening!
My three flats of 32 plugs of Bugleweed arrived a week ago and were the healthiest live plants I’ve ever ordered. Opened the boxes immediately, took them out of the netting, gave them a little drink and let them rest for 2 days. Still working on planting them, but every plug was well rooted with a good amount of foliage. Can’t wait to see them all grown up and filled in like the ones I inherited in my back garden. Will be buying several hundred more!
They haven't spread much yet but they are looking strong and healthy again for their second summer. Small blooms early this summer. They seem to readily withstand my dog, who pays no attention to his surroundings, walking on them.
'Chocolate Chip' Bugleweed (Ajuga)
These are healthy, beautiful plants. They’ve been in the ground for two weeks and have already started to fill in where I needed them. Best I’ve ever bought anywhere!
They seem to be having issues acclimating, but we will baby them and hope for the best
All growing very well.
Very healthy plants
I ordered 15 plugs. They arrived wonderfully packaged and on time as described. They were fresh and in beautiful shape. I planted within 3 days of their arrival and they all are thriving and doing great. I highly recommend soaking plugs in “SUPERthrive” before placing into the ground to reduce transplant shock. I use this dose of vitamins for all of my plants.
This was my first time ever to order plants. Couldn't be more pleased! The plants were very high quality and healthy. Happy to have thorough instructions included. In spite of a few unseasonable cold and warm weather streaks where I live, the plants are happy! Have already place a second order for something else!
The plants came in beautiful shape and easy to plant under a tree. Then I ordered another 32 to finish the job and finally rain came. All are surviving beautifully and finished the look I wanted beautifully!
Arrived alive and well in a vety timely manner.
'Chocolate Chip' Bugleweed (Ajuga)
Packaged well, healthy plants, can’t wait to plant!
The plants came in two pots. It was impossible to separate them without destroying some of the roots, and impossible to get 20 plants from each pot. I followed the directions carefully, but only two plants survived.
We’re sorry you’re having trouble with your plants! Our team of horticulture experts would love to take a closer look! Our fall guarantee covers plants received after September 1 until May 2026, so we have you covered. Please send your order number and pictures of your plants to [email protected] to start the claims process if necessary. We look forward to helping! https://bit.ly/ggp-guarantee
Arrived very healthy and well packaged for delivery.