Carpet Bugle or Bugleweed

Carpet Bugle is one of the most aggressive groundcovers you can plant, which is either its greatest strength or its biggest liability depending on where you put it. The dense mats of bronze, purple, or green foliage hug the ground at 4 to 6 inches, with short spikes of blue flowers in spring. It fills in fast under trees and along borders where grass will not grow.

Partial shade to full shade in moist soil. It tolerates poor soil and root competition from trees. The flip side: it will invade lawn edges and neighboring beds if you do not edge aggressively. Crown rot can thin patches in heavy, waterlogged soil during our wet winters. If patches die out, improve drainage or choose a less rot-prone variety.