Ajuga 'Bronze Beauty' is a vigorous ground cover prized for its glossy bronze green foliage and dense mat forming habit. Short spikes of deep blue flowers bloom in spring and may repeat lightly in cooler months. This cultivar is well adapted to small slopes, between stepping stones, or shaded borders where foliage color persists year round in milder climates.
Height & Spread: 3 - 6 in x 12 - 18 in
Bloom Time: Spring with occasional fall rebloom
Light Requirements: Full shade to part sun
Soil Preference: Moist, well drained soil; tolerates average to poor fertility
Watering Needs: Moderate; appreciates some moisture in heat
Deer Resistance: Resistant to deer
Native Status
This cultivar is derived from Ajuga reptans, native to Europe. It is widely grown in ornamental shade gardens for foliage and texture.
WILDLIFE & INSECTS
Bees
- Visited by bumblebees, mason bees, and early spring pollinators seeking low growing blooms.
Butterflies
- Used by smaller butterflies such as skippers and Spring Azures for nectar gathering during spring flights.
Spacing & Landscape Use
Spacing Recommendations
- Space 12 - 18 in apart for fast establishment and to suppress weeds with dense rosettes.
Landscape Placement
- Excellent for shaded walkways, around shrubs, or as a low filler in woodland edges and underplantings.
Companion Plants
- Allium schoenoprasum (Chives) - Upright green clumps contrast with Ajuga’s dark low mat and offer purple blooms.
- Dryopteris erythrosora (Autumn Fern) - Adds copper and green fronds above dense ground cover.
- Lamium maculatum 'Purple Dragon' - Offers trailing variegated foliage and purple blooms in complementary shade plantings.
- Heuchera 'Palace Purple' - Deep foliage tones echo Ajuga’s bronze coloring with added height and flower spikes.
- Hosta 'Patriot' - Large bold leaves contrast nicely against the tight texture of Ajuga mats.