Bugle

Bugle: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Low rosettes 10–15 cm tall that spread by surface runners to 60 cm and more.

Leaves

Oval to spoon-shaped and glossy, with a slightly wavy edge; green, or purple, bronze or variegated in garden forms.

Flowers

Whorls of small lipped flowers around square, upright stems, from April to June.

Colour

Mostly blue-violet; there are also pink and white forms.

Roots

Shallow; the runners root at the nodes and form new rosettes there.

Flowering: April–June · Plants: March–May and September–October · Pruning: July

Why grow it?

• A fast, low ground cover for moist spots in sun, partial shade or shade.
• Blue flower spikes from April to June, an early source of nectar for bumblebees and bees.
• Evergreen: the leaves, purple or variegated in many cultivars, simply stay put in mild winters.
• Native, so it fits right into a wildlife garden, under shrubs or at the edge of a pond.
• Easy to propagate: every runner makes a new plant by itself.

Bugle: where does it grow best?

• Sun, partial shade or shade, but ideally moist partial shade; avoid dry sun.
• Loamy or clay soil that holds moisture, acid, neutral or chalky.
• Average to moist soil: it copes poorly with drought.
• Plant 8–10 plants per m², about 30 cm apart; the carpet often closes within one season.

Light

Sun, partial shade and shade

Soil type

Loam or clay

Acidity

Not fussy

Moisture

Normal or wet

Size

0.15 m tall, 0.6 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -30 °C)

Goes well with

• Ferns: Fine, taller fronds above the low carpet, in the same moist shade.
• Hosta: Large leaves above the carpet; the bugle covers the soil beneath.
• Lungwort: Another early bee plant for partial shade, with spotted leaves.
• Lady’s mantle: Soft green leaves and yellow flower sprays beside the dark foliage.
• Snowdrop: Early white flowers poking through the carpet.

Bugle: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–May and September–October.

1. Plant in March–May or in September–October, when the soil is neither frozen nor parched.
2. Loosen the soil and mix in some compost or leaf mould.
3. Set the rosettes at the same depth as in the pot: the crown must stay above the soil.
4. Space 8–10 plants per m², about 30 cm apart.
5. Water well and keep the soil moist for the first few weeks.

Care

Watering

Water in dry spells, especially in sunny spots: plants that dry out soon get powdery mildew.

Feeding

Not needed; a thin layer of leaf mould in spring is enough.

Runners

If it creeps too far, pull up or chop off the runners. Keep it out of the lawn.

Spent spikes

Cut or mow them off after flowering to keep the carpet tidy.

Rejuvenating

When clumps go bare in the centre after a few years, replant young rosettes taken from the runners.

Tip: Plant it where the soil stays moist and pick a dark-leaved cultivar for a sunny spot: in dry sun it stays small and gets powdery mildew.

Bugle: when to prune it?

Pruning months: July.

When: After flowering, in July, cut or mow off the spent flower spikes. No other pruning is needed.

How:

• Cut the flower stems just above the leaves, or run the mower over the carpet on its highest setting.
• In March, remove leaves that are brown or damaged by frost.
• Pull up runners that creep beyond the bed.

Caution: Variegated cultivars sometimes produce plain green rosettes: remove them at once, or they will take over the carpet.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Runners

In spring or September: cut rooted rosettes from the runners and replant them elsewhere. This almost always works.

Division

Large clumps can be split in spring or early autumn and replanted.

Seed

The wild species sometimes self-seeds; cultivars with coloured leaves usually do not come true from seed.

Bugle: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −30 °C.

• Fully hardy, to about −30 °C: no protection is needed.
• In mild winters the leaves stay green or purple; in severe winters they may discolour or partly die back, but the plant regrows in spring.
• In a pot or trough: make sure the compost does not dry out completely in winter.

Diseases and pests

• Powdery mildew: White powder on the leaves, mainly in dry soil and dry sun. Water, remove affected leaves or move the plant to a moister spot.
• Crown rot: Rosettes turn brown and rot away in a wet, overcrowded planting. Thin out, remove rotten parts and replant healthy rosettes.
• Slugs and snails: Holes in young leaves in spring. Pick them off in the evening.
• Creeping too far: The runners wander into the lawn and among other plants. Pull them up regularly or lay an edging as a border.

Through the year

• March: Remove brown winter leaves. Add a little leaf mould. Planting.
• April: Flowering begins. Planting and taking off runners.
• May: Full flower. Planting.
• June: Last flowers. Water during dry spells.
• July: Cut or mow off spent flower spikes.
• August: Water during dry spells. Keep runners in check.
• September: Take off and plant runners. Divide.
• October: Planting.
• December: Evergreen carpet. Nothing to do.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• The upper lip of the flower is so short that it seems to be missing: the flower appears to have only a lower lip.
• Bugle is related to mint, sage and dead-nettle; like them, it has square stems.
• Purple-leaved cultivars colour most deeply in sun; in deep shade they turn greener.