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Keep Deer And Weeds Out Of Your Yard With This Stunning Groundcover
By KATE NICHOLSON
If you’d like to enjoy all the benefits of an abundant garden but don’t have the time or inclination, you’ll be delighted to discover the attractive and tenacious bugleweed.
Bugleweed has many names, including carpetweed and ajuga. Its leaves range from lime green to dark purple and its violet, pink, or white flowers bloom in spring and summer.
It’s not just its hardiness that makes bugleweed appealing, it’s also unappetizing to pests, attractive to pollinators, it smothers weeds, and it doesn’t mind being stepped on.
While bugleweed isn't toxic, it contains compounds such as flavonoids, polyphenols, and tannins that give it a bitter taste, which means that deer and rabbits generally avoid it.
The plant can even crowd out troublesome weeds due its stolon roots, which spread horizontally underground. It will grow under trees and on shady, rocky, or walked-on areas.
If you’re interested in cultivating a pollinator or beneficial insect yard, bugleweed works great, as its nectar-rich blooms attract butterflies, bees, ladybugs, and hummingbirds.