My ajuga seem to have gone missing.

Since the weather has warmed I've been spending a little time outside checking to see what's coming up. I planted about 24 ajuga plants last fall and I see only 2 left. Could something have eaten them or are they considered perennials that need time to grow back???
I thought they were a year round ground cover???

flowerjen, I have the same problem and for the life of me can't figure out why :( A plant which receives so many negative comments because of its aggressive nature and yet they just seem to disappear on me! In Maine the Ajuga created wonderful carpets in the gardens so I'm wondering if it's the heat and humidity that knocks them out?

I have no problem w/ the various ajuga reptans cultivars.
And we're certainly hot and humid here.
I use it as ground cover to stabilize a hillside.
I find it to be very vigorous. For me, vigorous in a good way.

But I can't get ajuga pyramidalis metallica crispa to thrive.
I've been trying to get it established in a 2 x 4 ft area by my patio.
I just love it. Individual plants seem to look OK, but just won't fill in.
I realize it doesn't run like the reptans varieties, but I still thought it would fill in better...

I have no problem with ajuga here, unless it gets too much sun. I have black scallop.

I have the wild ones. They are mostly ignored. Because the leaves are so lovely, I just let them do their thing but have never had them reach the point of being invasive. Lamium is a different story, especially the yellow.

I planted 6 Black Scallop last fall and two of them didn't make it through the ice and cold we had this winter.

Doug

So much for being extremely hardy, huh?

I am between zone 6 & 7. It wasn't bothered by our unusual cold, got down to 2 degrees. But these are native so perhaps they are aclimated.

I lost all of the 'Mahogany' I planted several years ago so tried 'Black Scallop' (second time) and still having problems. I've lost 'Golden Glow', 'Purple Torch' and 'Chocolate Chip'. I love the variegated foliage of 'Burgundy Glow' so I'm on my second attempt with it but it's not looking good :( These are usually the easiest plants to grow - what gives?

I think they have a tendency to heave during the winter so I mulched with chopped up leaves last fall about 2" deep although that didn't save the two I lost!

Doug

Here's my ajuga pyramidalis metallica crispa blooming.
It's a non-running variety. I love the shiny crinkled leaves.
It's very petite also. Blooms are only 3-4 inches high.

Close up.

Well I looked yesterday and the two I thought I'd lost have a tiny bit of new growth on them so I guess they just got stunted by the cold.

Doug

I planted quite a few different ajugas in the fall and didn't expect them to come back but was surprised to see them all popping up. One plant is no taller than 1" and already blooming.
My neighbor down the street has ajuga growing by the walkway in front of her house in partial shade and they are very invasive there. She just pulls them up and gives them to me.
We had temps as low as 10 and they survived. I know they don't like the humidity and heat here....

Looky what I found....about 8 of them came back

I'll be willing to bet you see a lot more of them in the next few days!

Doug

It took me a couple of years to figure this out.I have ajuga growing along the side of my driveway.Its not the cold that kills it for me.Its the snow that gets piled up from shoveling.Sometimes up to 4 feet.I don't think it can handle the excessive snow pile.I have it planted in some other places in my yard.It comes back just fine.Edge

Oh interesting...but not what happened here. We only had 1 snowstorm with any signifcant amount and it was gone in a couple days. Still can't figure it...I do have some flowering right now but of course the majority of mine didn't make it.

My Black Scallop didn't seem to like wet winter conditions much, or if we got a long, hot dry spell. I think I probably grew it in too much sun. I also think it sort of depends on the cultivar. I've heard complaints about Burgundy Glow not being very hardy, too. Unfortunately, that's the cultivar I just planted here. I should get plenty of shade, though...so hopefully it'll like the conditions.

I have chocolate chip and torch.

Hello to my Eastern friends and fellow Ajuga lovers. I've "lost" Ajuga plants during the winter in the past. Yes, I know, it's not snowing all winter here. But the point is that while the tops may die off, the plants return . . . WOF. So, I would suggest that if you've mulched to protect against the snows, you may well find that your little lovelies will return.

Also, as it gets pretty hot hereabouts (it was actually 106 last week--ugh), they also do well in the summer. I do, however, sprinkle daily during the heaviest heat periods. We suffer a dry heat.

I've planted probably 6-or-so varieties of Reptans.

I trust you will find your lovelies have returned and will multiply.

Linda

Well, you can add me to the list of lost Ajuga.There was some wild Ajuga growing in the grass at Josh's house so last fall I moved some of that into one of the beds and nope it didn't come back, I could put that down to the lateness of the season. I had a great bed of it at my house a couple of years ago. I dug some up and moved it under a tree thinking it would fill in nicely and we wouldn't have to trim around that tree. They seemed to transplant well and filled in nicely over the summer, but were gone the next year. Then I moved some up to my Parents house and about half of that dissapeared. What really had me wondering was a bed that I had for several years just up and dissapeared. I had a couple of different types of Ajuga in that bed. I do still have some but not sure I will try and move it again.

Huh! I thought I was going to have to use Agent Orange on the Ajuga here to control it. I have rather loose, sandy soil. Maybe it prefers that?

Doesn't that just stink, Holly?

Yes it does Jen. LOL

I also find that ajuga reptans is a fairly aggressive spreader.
Many, but not all, of the various variegated cultivars have also been vigorous to a fault.
They're easy to pull, so I don't mind too much.
In fact, I take advantage of their spreading nature to help control erosion on my hillsides.

I just think it's so amazing how plants thrive in one climate and struggle in another, even nearby.
Even so-called 'invasive' plants can struggle.
My example of a famously rambunctious plant that doesn't seem to grow in my yard is lamium.
But, boy, those ajugas love it here. Clay or loam, sun or shade, doesn't seem to matter.

This message was edited Jun 7, 2009 1:26 PM

In these here parts the only thing it wont grow in is concrete.

Snapple . . . LOL, ROFL!

lINDA

I planted three party time under pine trees and had lost one (I think it was too wet and not sandy enough for them )Moved them too where they get more light and a little less rich soil and they are just hanging on . Don't know what the heck to do next. Only have two something looks like it might be eating them too. Party time was the variety .

The other Ajuga seems to be doing good so far it's black scallop I hope it keeps doing good because it's so pretty it's in part shade and med. moisture.

Black Scallop was a pretty tough ajuga for me--I had it in my old garden growing in heavy clay. Took full afternoon sun without complaint. It didn't spread, but it didn't die, either. Hopefully, that bodes well for yours, Marlina. :)

I'm noticing that the ajuga 'Burgundy Glow' I planted this spring took a while to get settled in but now is spreading and looks really nice in the bright shade spot I have it in. I don't think it gets much, if any, direct sunlight. My soil is a sandy loam and can run toward the dry side. The other 'Burgundy Glow' I planted in a slightly raised tier in my hosta garden is struggling. I had created a little ring using field stone, and filled the inside of the ring with compost. I planted directly into the compost. The soil may be drier because of the raised bed, and it's also definitely richer.

So, my experience so far is that ajuga seem to like loose, slightly moist, not-too-rich soils and a good deal of shade. I'm not sure if that's helpful or not, but there you have it. :)

LOL, Heavy clay in the afternoon sun. Yep that is exactly where mine is growing, oh forgot to mention that it is "not" in a flower bed. Just growing in the grass in the middle of the yard. LOL
That party time sure is pretty. sigh

I have two different ajuga cultivars though they are both 'rescue' plants and I don't know the names. One is purple, the other green and both are beautiful plants. I have patches of each and, while most are very lush and healthy due to the adequate rain we've received in the Atlanta area this year, a few of each variety have died and completely vanished. I am happy to have the healthy plants that remain but I'd cettainly like to know what the problem is. The dead plants are in the midst of the healthy. But after the drought of the past few years I am just glad for what remains.

I'm not an ajuga lover so I dont see what's the problem lol

I planted a 4-pack of Black Scallop last summer.
It has spread like crazy. Ajuga growss rampantly here.
For many situations, it's too aggressive.
But for my situation (trying to stabilize a hillside) it's perfect.

How is it at suppressing the weeds in a mass planting?

Sandy

I might need to wait a couple years before addressing that issue.
So far, seems pretty vigorous. I hope it's weed-suppressing, but can't say yet.

I've tried a tricolor at least twice (not sure if it was party time) and lost it on both tries.
The funny thing is it was planted in the same bed the burgundy thrives in, go figure. LOL Holly's Ric

My black scallop is doing great with a little non-flowering clover that has burgundy in it. The ranunculus repens, which I fight here, has had some trouble seeding in the midst of it. And there's nothing else in there. It gets an "A" from me for weed suppression.

Mine's in moderately heavy clay with morning sun. It didn't blink at the wet/freezing temperatures we had last winter.

I don't know if this helps, but I planted some Burgundy Glow in June. It hasn't spread, but has filled out nicely. I do hope it will make it through the winter. I love the colors and the special look it gives my rock garden.