Ajuga reptans
creeping bugle
Common names: bugleweed, creeping bugleweed
Photo: Didier Descouens · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
The creeping bugle, botanically Ajuga reptans, is a low groundcover with vivid blue flower spikes that appear from April to June, often already from mid‑April (week 16). Over its above‑ground runners it forms dense carpets, reliably filling gaps between perennials and shrubs. Bees and bumblebees are attracted to the flowers, making the bugle a valuable pollinator plant. It prefers semi‑shade to shade on fresh, humus‑rich soil and tolerates some foot traffic. In mild winters its foliage often remains green, providing structure in the bed even when surrounding plants are sparse.
Care instructions
Plant the bugle in spring or autumn in loose groups; it will close the area by itself within a few months. Keep the soil moderately moist at first until the runners have rooted; thereafter it tolerates short dry periods. Runners that grow beyond the desired area can be cut off with a spade and replanted elsewhere. After flowering prune back faded stands to keep the carpet compact. A thin leaf layer left in autumn protects the plant and supplies nutrients for spring growth.
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
moist, humus-rich, nutrient-rich, loamy
Feeding
Light feeder
Companion planting
Good neighbors
nightshade family (Solanaceae)
particularly well establishedYou will find that basil next to tomato and pepper improves taste and keeps whiteflies and aphids away.
For example PotatoTomatoSweet pepperCocktail tomatoEggplantCape gooseberry and 9 more species in the catalogue
Source: classic companion planting (DACH-Gartenpraxis)
cabbage family (Brassicaceae)
You will notice that the intense scent of basil, thyme, and others confuses the cabbage whitefly and keeps it away from the cabbage family.
For example White cabbageKohlrabiRadishKalebroccolicauliflower and 34 more species in the catalogue
Source: bio-gardening intercropping practice
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Some of these explanations were machine-translated.
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