AJUGA. Bugle. Widespread, mostly in Europe and the Middle East. I have never been overly fond of the ajugas, though they are certainly useful as ground covers for difficult spots. However, there is now a wealth of old and new cultivars from which to choose, offering a good range of size, leaf characteristics and flower color. Most are forms and hybrids of A. reptans. They form broad, dense mats, good for suppressing weeds but often invasive. They have broad paired leaves, usually dark green or with bronze shading, and often satiny or glossy in surface. During the warmer months—much of the year on the central coast—they display crowded, spike like clusters of blue or violet to white, irregular flowers. ‘Jungle Beauty’ (one of several names for one plant) is one of the giants of the group, with large bluish green leaves and stalks up to 1' tall, carrying many large purplish blue flowers. ‘Catlin Giant’ (also with several alternative names) is nearly as robust. It has shiny, heavily bronze tinged leaves and large blue-violet flowers on somewhat shorter stems. ‘Bronze Beauty’ and ‘Mahogany’ are lower and tighter in growth. Both also have smaller, solidly bronze-purple leaves, most vivid in full sun, and violet flowers on short stems. ‘Burgundy Glow’ (a.k.a. ‘Burgundy Lace’), might better be called ‘Tricolor’. It is low and dense, with crowded leaves irregularly combining dark green, cream and purplish red. ‘Pink Beauty’ has plain green leaves combined with pretty, light to medium pink flowers. Sun or light shade, most soils, moderate to regular watering. Hardy to 0^oF or less.