Feathered Friends™ Cordial Canary Ajuga

Light Needs

Full Shade to Part Shade

(0-4 Hours Direct Sun)

Mature Height

6-11 Inches

Mature Spread

6-11 Inches

Growing Zones

4 to 9

Like most bugleweed (Ajuga), Feathered Friends ‘Cordial Canary’ spreads along partly shaded ground and adds bugle-shaped flowers to its low, attractive foliage in spring and summer. Unlike other ajugas, however, this Feathered Friends groundcover is the first to boast gold-colored leaves beneath its bright bluish-purple flowers. An evergreen, the leaves retain their color through winter until flowering again as spring temperatures warm, and thrives in zones 4 through 9.

Few plants offer this much interest while growing in shady areas, and as a groundcover, this ajuga is a perfect companion plant to taller shrubs or plants like Huechera or Hosta that grow in shade. The leaves hug the ground and the flower spikes rise about 4 to 6 inches above the showy foliage. The plant spreads 9 to 18 inches, so by planting several in a bed, you can get year-round color while suppressing weeds. Ajuga also is deer resistant, so it’s a good choice for a partly sunny woodland garden. For 

Feathered Friends ‘Cordial Canary’ Ajuga Care

Ajuga can grow in cool and hot zones, provided it receives the right care. Ajuga prefers partial shade, but it can grow in full shade and more sun, at least in cooler zones. The groundcover likes moist soil, but the soil should drain well enough to prevent sogginess. Although ajuga eventually helps control weeds, spread at least an inch of organic mulch around new plantings to keep weeds from competing until the ajuga takes roots and spreads. 

Water your ajuga with drip irrigation or a hose placed at the base of the plants instead of an overhead spray. One application of a balanced fertilizer in spring gives the plants a good start. There is no need to deadhead the blooms, but the plant does best if you cut the stems and foliage back to a few inches above soil level when the flowers fade. You might need to divide ajuga every few years. This mint relative can grow into a dense carpet and will benefit from more air circulation.

Feathered Friends ‘Cordial Canary’ Ajuga Spacing

Plant your Feathered Friends ‘Cordial Canary’ plants at least a foot apart to give them room to grow into one another. 

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