Ajuga reptans 'Black Scallop'
Black Scallop Bugleweed
Item #: 13515
Zones: 3a to 8b, at least
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 3" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Europe
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
(PP 15,815 expired) Ajuga 'Black Scallop' is a superb and colorful evergreen groundcover that exists thanks to UK nurseryman Mike Tristam, who found it as a tissue culture mutation in a batch of Ajuga reptans 'Braunherz'. Black Scallop bugleweed acts like a typical ploidy mutant (additional sets of chromosomes) with larger, darker purple leaves and flowers than its parent, as well as better disease tolerance. The heat-tolerant dense mat of crinkled, glossy purple foliage is topped in late spring with stunning stalks of blue-purple flowers. Ajuga seeding around is a terrible problem for us with some cultivars, but we have never encountered a single seedling. Tired of mulching? Put this attractive ajuga to work in your garden as a living mulch. Average to slightly moist soils are best.
Maintenance:
Ajuga is a maintenance free perennial. Planted in the right conditions, it should never need any maintenance. This ajuga selection forms larger clumps instead of spreading like many more common ajugas, making it a much better behaved plant in the garden.
Growing Conditions:
'Black Scallop' bugleweed prefers a slightly moist soil, but one which drains well. It can handle a significant drought as long as it doesn't last extremely long. We prefer to plant ajugas in full sun, although they are fairly tolerant of dry, open light shade. If soils become waterlogged, either in summer or winter, plants can rot, so the key is to give it the correct conditions. Good air movement also helps both the soil and foliage dry out quicker after precipitation.
Garden Value: Bugleweed is great for creating color contrasts in the garden without impacting the growth of plants growing around it. The dark purple color remains vivid throughout the entire season.
Natural Impact:
Ajuga are pollinated in spring by bees.
-
Other Attributes
Genus: Ajuga
Flower Color: Blue , Purple/Lavender
Leaf Color: Black , Purple/Lavender
Bloom Time: Spring
Container Role: Fillers
Garden Themes: Chocolate Garden , Cottage Garden Plants , Fairy Garden Plants , Gnome Gardens , Green Roofs , Living Wall , Rock Garden Plants
Other: Edimentals , Deer Resistant Plants , Dry Shade Plants , Groundcovers , Hummingbird Plants , Pollinator Plants , Medicinal Plants , Plants that Attract Birds , Rabbit Resistant Plants , Colored Foliage