Black Scallop Ajuga
Ajuga reptans ‘Binblasca’ · a black-leaf ajuga
A dense, glossy groundcover with near-black, scalloped leaves and fragrant violet flower spikes in spring. It carpets shady ground and banks where lawn struggles, and deer leave it be. It spreads fast and is listed as invasive in parts of the country, so keep it away from lawns and out of wet, heavy soil.
- Mature size
- 4 in × 1 ft
- 9 cm × 0.4 m, tall × wide
- Hardiness
- Zones 4a–9b
- USDA
- Sun
- Full sun to full shade
- Water
- Medium
- Blooms
- May–Jun
Black Scallop Ajuga at its mature size
A mature Black Scallop Ajuga grows to about 4 in tall and 1 ft wide.
Drawn to scale beside a 5 ft 9 in person. With VeraScape, you see it at this size in your own yard.
Typical mature size, unpruned. Sources: Missouri Botanical Garden.
Through the year
What Black Scallop Ajuga looks like month by month in a typical zone 6–7 garden.
Winter · Dec–Mar
The dark mat lying flatter, no flower spikes.
In leaf · Apr–Nov
Flat mat of glossy scalloped near-black leaves with a few short blue spikes.
Photos
Growing Black Scallop Ajuga
- Grows well in
- The Northeast, the Southeast, the Midwest, and the Pacific Northwest.
- Good for
- Small space, groundcover, shade garden, slopes, and deer resistant
- Leaves
- Evergreen
- Native to
- Europe
Spacing
VeraScape spaces plants so their grown canopies just touch. For Black Scallop Ajuga, that’s about 1 ft apart, center to center.
Place a row in your own yard and VeraScape spaces them at their mature width, so you can see whether they’ll crowd the walk.
See Black Scallop Ajuga in your yard before you dig
Visualize it at its true size, alongside the rest of your design.