I have become something of an expert at ground cover. Not because I know what I am doing rather than because I don’t. I have made so many mistakes that I am an expert at what not to do. Gardening is not a science. The vagaries of weather, soils and altitude all have an impact. The 2023/24 winter was wet and so many plants died. They just gave up the ghost. This past winter was much drier, and still I lost many plants, just different ones! However, I continue to struggle on, always keen to find what you might call gardening success. Firstly, you plant the plants according to some plan visualised in the brain. Secondly, you look at them in year one and they look sparse. How to respond? Strip them out or try a further year.

Bee analysis

My photo shows a measure of success, a reason to be cheerful. The bees did that for me. These Ajuga reptans (the blue) looked very sparse after one year, so I left them for a second. They were densely planted and grew into one another. However, by March they were looking good. In April they just burgeoned, throwing up strong flower spikes. The flowers erupted and every day a number of gorgeous orange haired bumble bees paid them a visit. I could see their joy, loads of nectar and pollen and flower after flower, hardly any flying necessary. What was odd was that just one kind of bee was visiting. That said, I am aware that bees tongues vary and they can feed on some flowers but not others.

Ground cover

The Ajuga will stay for a few years. They don’t flower over the summer but offer a purple leaves foil to other flowering plants. Insects seem to like them and, being dense, they stifle weeds and retain moisture in the soil below. What is not to like. Perhaps more importantly, they throw out sports that you can detach and readily plant. They grow easily and are really difficult to kill. However, it’s that bumble bee value that I cherish most. I look from the house and can see the big bumbles doing their thing. I can’t hear the buzz but it makes the world a really gorgeous place.