My Deer Garden

Plant record · Groundcover · Lamiaceae

Is Bugleweed deer resistant?

Ajuga reptans

Bugleweed flowering with short blue spikes over bronze-green foliage
Photo by G. Edward Johnson, CC BY-SA 3.0. Via Wikimedia Commons.
Damage step 1 of 4 · Rarely Damaged

Yes. Deer almost always leave this alone.

Type
Groundcover
Hardiness
Zones 3–10
Light
Full shade to part shade
Height
6–12 in
Bloom
April–June
Maintenance
Low
Family
Lamiaceae

Damage steps follow a published university field scale. How plants are rated.

About Bugleweed

Fast, dense, and deer ignore it, which makes it one of the few reliable groundcovers for shade under browsing pressure.

The catch is in the word fast. Ajuga spreads by runners and does not respect a bed edge, so it will move into a lawn and is difficult to get back out once it does. Plant it where a hard edge or a path contains it, or where you genuinely want the whole area covered.

The other weakness is crown rot in hot humid weather, which can take out patches of an established planting overnight. Air movement helps and heavy mulch does not. Bronze and variegated cultivars are less vigorous than the plain green, which in this case is a feature.

Soil and care

Soil pH
5.5 to 7.5
Drainage
Average garden soil
Water
Moderate
Fertility
Low
Spacing
10 to 14 in apart
Growth rate
Fast
Maintenance
Low

Tolerances and uses

Drought
Moderate
Salt
Low
Pollinators
Moderate

Evergreen·Containers·Erosion control

What to plant it with

Keep apart from

  • Lungwort

    Ajuga runs; lungwort does not. The groundcover wins and you lose the lungwort.

Similar to Bugleweed

Other groundcovers with the same deer rating.

Where Bugleweed grows

Hardy across every state on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering. Select any state, including one it will not grow in, for what is resistant there.

Alabama — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.Alaska — hardy here. Zones 1 to 8.Arizona — hardy here. Zones 5 to 10.Arkansas — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.California — hardy here. Zones 7 to 10.Colorado — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.Connecticut — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Delaware — hardy here. Zones 7 to 7.District of Columbia — hardy here. Zones 7 to 8.Florida — hardy here. Zones 8 to 11.Georgia — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.Hawaii — hardy here. Zones 9 to 12.Idaho — hardy here. Zones 3 to 7.Illinois — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Indiana — hardy here. Zones 5 to 6.Iowa — hardy here. Zones 4 to 6.Kansas — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Kentucky — hardy here. Zones 6 to 7.Louisiana — hardy here. Zones 8 to 10.Maine — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.Maryland — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Massachusetts — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Michigan — hardy here. Zones 4 to 6.Minnesota — hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Mississippi — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.Missouri — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Montana — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.Nebraska — hardy here. Zones 4 to 6.Nevada — hardy here. Zones 4 to 9.New Hampshire — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.New Jersey — hardy here. Zones 6 to 7.New Mexico — hardy here. Zones 4 to 9.New York — hardy here. Zones 4 to 7.North Carolina — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.North Dakota — hardy here. Zones 3 to 4.Ohio — hardy here. Zones 5 to 6.Oklahoma — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Oregon — hardy here. Zones 6 to 9.Pennsylvania — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Rhode Island — hardy here. Zones 6 to 7.South Carolina — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.South Dakota — hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Tennessee — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Texas — hardy here. Zones 6 to 9.Utah — hardy here. Zones 4 to 9.Vermont — hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Virginia — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Washington — hardy here. Zones 5 to 8.West Virginia — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Wisconsin — hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Wyoming — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.
Hardy on zone rangeNot hardy — still linked
Choose a state from the listeasier on a phone

Common questions about Bugleweed

Is Bugleweed deer resistant?
Bugleweed (Ajuga reptans) is rated Rarely Damaged, step 1 of 4 on the damage scale this site uses. Deer almost always leave this alone.
What hardiness zones does Bugleweed grow in?
Bugleweed is hardy in USDA zones 3 to 10. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
Does Bugleweed grow in shade?
Yes. Bugleweed tolerates full shade to part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
How big does Bugleweed get?
Mature height is roughly 6–12 in. Growth rate is fast.
When does Bugleweed bloom?
Bugleweed flowers from April–June.

Browse from here

Every list Bugleweed belongs to.

All groundcovers·Rarely damaged·Shade plants·Evergreen shrubs

Hardy in these zones

Zone 3·Zone 4·Zone 5·Zone 6·Zone 7·Zone 8·Zone 9

Damage ratings follow the four-step field scale published by Rutgers University. Growing data is compiled from state extension sources and still being verified record by record. Last reviewed .