Ajuga tenorei - Tenore's Bugle

Ajuga tenorei is a botanical species of creeping bush from which several renowned cultivars originate. Its growth is compact, its foliage persists in winter, and its generous spring flowering is a very bright royal blue. This perennial forms loosely spreading clumps of numerous small, narrow, green leaves that become more or less purple in winter. Perfect in slightly wild areas of the garden or in pots and containers, this bugle prefers shade, partial shade, or gentle sunlight, in moist soil. A lovely low-maintenance plant!

Ajuga tenorei is native to central and southern Italy, as well as Sicily and only found in the wild there. This perennial plant belongs to the family of Lamiaceae, just like sage and mint. It is the botanical species from which the famous cultivars 'Chocolate Chip' and 'Princess Nadia' originate. It grows slower than Ajuga reptans, and is never invasive. It forms 5 to 15 cm (2 to 6in) tall clumps of small leaves that are different from Ajuga reptans. They are oval and elongated, fuzzy and sometimes slightly purple, with a diameter not exceeding 1.3 cm (1in). The plant produces weak stoloniferous stems that root on their own, allowing it to eventually form a cushion about 30-40 cm (12-16in) in diameter. From May to June, small intensely royal blue two-lipped flowers appear just above the foliage and bloom for more than a month.

Ajuga tenorei can be planted along the edge of flower beds or paths, between stones in fresh rockeries, in flower beds, or even in pots and containers to decorate balconies or terraces. In partial shade, it pairs well with the colourful foliage of heucheras or tiarellas, for example. Bugles are among the best ground cover plants; they are perfect for dressing the base of trees and bushes, in pots or shaded flower beds with spring bulbs, dead nettles, and barrenworts. In moist rockeries, they can be planted alongside buckthorns, Azorella trifurcata 'Nana', and saxifrages.