Feathered Friends™ Fierce Falcon Ajuga

Light Needs

Full Shade to Part Shade

(0-4 Hours Direct Sun)

Mature Height

6-11 Inches

Mature Spread

6-18 Inches

Growing Zones

4 to 9

Groundcovers can keep weeds down and add color to landscapes and garden beds. Feathered Friends ‘Fierce Falcon’ Ajuga is a new bugleweed bred for its dark, nearly black, and large leaves. Although the ajuga grows to only about 4 to 6 inches high, it spreads widely and easily, filling in bare spots or areas where you need a dramatic dark purple backdrop for flowers and shrubs. This ajuga variety is tough, grows consistently, and is hardy in zones 4 through 9.

As if this Fierce Falcon were not appealing enough, consider that it grows in part to full shade. So, it can go up against structures or border gardens and sidewalks on the north side of a home, where not enough sun hits for most plants. The plant produces bluish flowers in late spring to early summer and its big, dark leaves keep their color all winter. Still, deer usually avoid ajuga.

Feathered Friends Fierce Falcon Ajuga Care

Plant your ajuga in soil that drains well, adding a few inches of mulch around the plant until it spreads to cover the ground. The mulch will help keep the soil moist and suppress weeds until your ajuga is old enough to take that job over. You can place this plant in any spot that gets full shade to about 4 to 6 hours of sun a day for the best health and color. Just be sure to space the plants far enough apart to allow them to grow into one another.

Water ajuga regularly until it’s established and in hot, dry periods, and apply water with drip irrigation or soakers near the ground. Avoid soggy soil, but keep it fairly moist. Fertilizing each spring with a balanced fertilizer can give the ajuga a good start. Wait until flowers fade to prune the plant, and then remove dead flower stalks and prune it to an inch or two above the ground. You might have to divide the plant every couple of years if it gets so dense no air can get to the roots. Just transplant the division in another shady spot.

Feathered Friends Fierce Falcon Ajuga Spacing

Eventually, ajugas can grow into one another, so give them room to reach their full spread, planting them about 16 to 18 inches apart. 

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