comment about the website as a whole, please leave it in my At the point where these clumps begin to get crowded, you can dig them up and transplant them. Also, group plants according to their water requirements. The leaves can be steeped in tea, eaten in salads, or added to casseroles. It may be harder to get Ajuga to bloom indoors. Three weeks ago I planted 36 healthy-looking Adjuga Reptans Black Scallop plants in an area that will have filtered sunlight when the leaves appear on the trees. It did great,and spread to cover most of a 6x8' flower bed, until this year, when it all just disappeared. asparagus, rhubarb, etc. I love them! Insects can harm ajuga plants, particularly ash leaf curl aphids and crown rots. The only way I got rid of it was to dig it up & after I did that, which took me 2 full days to do it, I put lime on it. When boiled, the roots are said to taste like Chinese artichokes. Is there a remedy in dealing with this weed? When these structures, known as sclerotia, are young, they are a cream tint, but as they age, they turn a dark, brick red tone. She is a Master Gardener and lead gardener in a Plant-A-Row, which is a program that offers thousands of pounds of organically-grown vegetables to local food banks. Will ajuga choke out my hostaalready read they will not compete with the ferns. They look overgrown and the leaves are curling. Iastate.Edu. Evergreen in most regions, it is perfect for planting between stepping stones or in wall crevices. However, the plant attracts bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies. Please submit your comment as plain text. Wait until all chance of frost has passed to plant ajugas. Growing a Bountiful Harvest even when Time, Space & Budget are Limited Ajuga is one of my favorite plants for pots and garden beds. Ajugas are low-maintenance plants that have good resistance to rabbits and deer. Each growing point on the plant is actually a little rosette of foliage. If I plant this around a tree stump that is at ground level, will it cover over the stump? Crown rot can be a big problem for ajugas during warm, wet, or humid weather. This fungal disease is most common in warm wet or humid weather. Bugleweed (Ajuga reptans) is a fast-growing herbaceous perennial ground cover (the species name reptans means creeping) that does a good job of choking out weeds. On hostas, disease signs begin with marginal yellowing and browning of the leaves, beginning with the lower leaves. Dark spots on the bark surrounding the crown of the tree may appear, with dark sap leaking from the sick areas margins. The leaves of my ajuga plants have holes in them. Zones 3-9, Ajuga reptans 'Chocolate Chip' is a miniature hybrid with narrow burgundy leaves and purple blooms in spring. Seedlings can also be attacked, resulting in damping off. Gets partial sun. One or more images of this plant are included in my stock photo catalog, About my plant portraits //-->e-mail me. Wait until summer to move them outside to the garden. And avoid planting crown rot susceptible plants in the bed where the Ajuga died. University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. Water the plants with at least 1 inch of water a week in the summer; more if necessary to keep the soil moist. Many forms with variegated foliage are available. Allow roughly a foot of space between each plant when establishing it, unless you desire rapid groundcover. Ajuga is typically grown in shady locations but will thrive just as well in the sun, albeit more slowly, making it much easier to control. Ajuga is mid-spring blooming, producing erect, 8-inch tall trusses of blue, tubular two-lipped flowers. Ajuga weed control is tricky and especially challenging in lawns. Carpet Bugleweed (Ajuga reptans): This is a very popular ground cover. Ajuga plants can experience insect damage, particularly ash leaf curl aphids and crown rots. It's decorated with blue flowers in spring. It bears small spikes of blue flowers in spring and grows 1 foot tall and 2 feet wide. Although the blue flowers are prominent, they don't have any fragrance. With proper care, though, affected plants may recover and put out healthy leaves again. If the planting area becomes crowded, thin out the plants in the fall by digging up the entire clump and replanting half of the roots. We left this plant behind in our Pennsylvania garden (and wish it well); we don't grow it in Houston. If someone hasn't done it, and did a book on it so we laypersons could follow a format to understand the processes, it would be a money maker. The ajuga is growing but the clover is growing more suggestions to get rid of clover and weed grass? Partridge berry, running box, twinberry or twinflower (Mitchella repens), and carpet or common bugleweed (Ajuga reptans) are dog-safe creeping evergreen plants for shady gardens. Selections with bronze- or metallic-tinted leaves keep color best in full sun. The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Sustainable Gardening Australia: Peach Leaf Curl, University of California: Curling Leaves on Plants, UC IPM Online: Home, Garden, Turf, and Landscape Pests, How to grow your own herb garden in any indoor or outdoor space, How to Stop Your Peach Tree's Leaves From Curling. Ajuga Bugleweed. Learn tips for creating your most beautiful home and garden ever. Fuzzy spores develop on the leaves. Green leafy specimens and blooming perennials that havent blossomed yet will benefit from the splash of color and modest growth habit. Crown rot can be a problem, especially in hot, humid areas or in heavy soils. What are the possible causes and cures for this? This is a lovely plant but takes over & spreads quickly.It has gotten into the grass & was taking over my lawn. For extra greenery, plant hostas and ferns. If the disease continues to spread or has destroyed much of the planting, it is time to start over in a new location with disease-free plants. Clean up the remaining dried, shriveled foliage and leave the roots alone. The leaves yellow and wilt as the disease spreads. Southern Blight.Wisconsin Horticulture, https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/southern-blight/. On some of the roots, it appears that there is some white moldy stuff. For bedding plants, aim for one to two feet of drainage. What Do You Do with Bugleweed ~ How To Propagate? A partial sun setting with four to six hours of sunshine daily is excellent for the nicest leaf hues. If you Janet. Cause I bought a small pot at walmart a couple of weeks ago and I planted it in part sun part shade and it looks sickly I've been watering it every other day and it looks like its dieing. The leathery leaves have lighter undersides and turn shades of red, orange, and bright yellow in fall. Re:Flies on your ajuga plant.I have never heard of that either, however,there are lots of harmless sprays you could try.Well,relatively harmless.Did you use a manure mix straight from a farm? ajuga has been taken over with the wild strawberry vine. Small, 1/8 inch long, whitish woolly aphids are inside the leaves. Powdery mildews thrive in both very humid or very dry weather. I've planted ajuga among some groups of ferns. I want something the I don't have to take care of and it would be close to a wooded area behind our back yard. Fungicides for gardens and home cures like bleach are ineffective. Bugleweed is one of the easiest plants to propagate by division. Feeding is rarely necessary unless the plant is growing in poor soil. Individual plants normally reach a height of 3 to 4 inches with a spread of less than a foot tall. The leaves of the ash tree curl and deform. Also, dont plant crown rot-prone plants in the same bed where the Ajuga died. Blueberry Muffin Vigorous and fast-spreading, Blueberry Muffin has deep blue flowers and thick leaves that hold up well even in harsh weather. All sick plants should be removed and disposed of. Because the fungus has such a broad host range, it can cause problems on a variety of garden plants. Her passion for gardening began when she was a child, assisting her Mom and Nana in tending to their backyard garden in England. May 13, 2023 Ajuga reptans, commonly called bugleweed, is a dense, rapidly spreading, mat-forming ground cover which features shiny, dark green leaves. When plants lack nitrogen, their leaves not only curl, but they also turn yellow. I'm afraid to re-plant these after what I've been through. The University of California states that chemicals, particularly the 2,4-D herbicide, can cause leaf curl in plants. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. QUESTION: My lovely chocolate chip ajuga is being killed by something might it be a fungus? Chocolate Chip Sometimes sold as 'Valfredda', this dwarf variety has chocolate-burgundy leaves and bluish-purple flowers. Ajuga reptans, the wild bugle, is a robust evergreen with dark green foliage, bearing upright spikes of dark blue flowers from late spring to midsummer. We have clay soil and it is part-shade up there. It is native to Europe, northern Africa, and southwestern Asia. We hope you found this quick article helpful. ANSWER: The Southern blight fungus causes a fungal root and crown rot in Ajuga (Ajuga reptans) (Sclerotium rolfsii). It spreads quickly by runners, making a mat of dark green leaves that grow 2 to 3 inches wide in full sun and 3 to 4 inches wide in part shade. They can take sun to partial shade, although the foliage develops its best color in full sun. Thanks for your site! Bugleweed can make quite a nuisance of itself through its aggressive spreading via underground runners (called stolons), but there are a few situations in which its good qualities will be enough reason for some gardeners to grow it. Another reason for leaves curling on plants is due to nutrient deficiency. Ajuga reptans 'Burgundy Glow' The leaves are purple-tinged throughout the year, but get even darker in winter Excellent evergreen groundcover, blooms early-mid spring. This member of the mint family spreads fast and can become invasive. If you are not tilling the soil in the entire planting area, start by digging your planting hole at least two to three times as wide and no deeper than the rootball. Infected plants stems turn brown or black and decay. Foliage may turn yellow or even reddish-purplish in color. Register now Some types bloom only in the spring, while others bloom in spring, summer, and fall, provided temperatures aren't too high. Treating Bugleweeds: Learn How To Control Ajuga Plants. Cover the seeds with a thin layer of compost and keep moist but not soggy; They will sprout within a month. How Do You Harvest Russian Kale so It Keeps Growing? Spreading by underground stolons, Ajuga rapidly covers the bare ground and will fill in large areas relatively quickly. Its ideal to fertilize early in the morning and follow up with a thorough watering. It has been very dry here in Ohio lately, but I have been giving it good water at night when the sun is setting. Gently loosen the plants roots, place them in the ground, and firm the soil around them. When is the best time to plant your ajuga first of spring. This plant will readily grow from cuttings, so keep checking for roots to form. Site Map, Trees, Shrubs, Roses, Vines & Groundcovers, Plants for the Wine and Plant Enthusiasts, Downy Mildew Resistant Beacon Impatiens for the Shade, Puckered & Discolored Leaves from Peach Leaf Curl, Houseplants, Holiday Plants, and Cut Flowers, Crown Rot Causing Sudden Wilting and Death on Ajuga (Bugleweed). Noted for its extremely dwarf habit and chocolate foliage, Ajuga reptans 'Chocolate Chip' (Carpet Bugle) is a ground-hugging perennial prized for its bluish-purple flower spikes on display in mid to late spring. There is no leaf curl treatment for herbicide-caused damage, but depending on the level of exposure, the plant may not die.