How to Grow Bugleweed

Identifying Runners

• Runners are horizontally growing shoots of bugleweed that creep along the ground. The nodes, or the spots where the leaves grow, eventually produce roots where they touch the soil, leading to top growth and new plants. Runners are specialized plant structures and not all plants produce them. The mint plant also produces runners like bugleweed.

Separating Runners

• Prepare a small pot with well-draining potting soil to plant runners. Though these can be moved directly to the garden, planting in the pot first gives the young plants a better chance to get established. Use a U-shaped, small piece of wire to pin a runner to the ground. This encourages the stem to take root. If runners are already rooted, use sharp scissors to sever them from the parent plants, remove carefully from the ground and plant in the pot.

Growth Conditions

• Transplant bugleweed in an area of full to partial shade in the landscape. The plant is poorly tolerant of hot sun and will scorch. Bugleweed adapts well to a variety of soil types including moist, dry, poorly fertile or clay. Hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture zones 4 through 9, plants are healthier in well-ventilated areas. Overly hot and humid conditions make bugleweed highly prone to crown rot. Water regularly in very dry soil for better growth.

Size

• Bugleweed achieves a mature height of 6 to 10 inches with matlike growth. The whorled, opposite leaves grow on square stems. The 3- to 5-inch-long and 1- to 2-inch-wide foliage is oblong and dark green. The plant blooms with 1/2-inch, blue to purple flowers on 6- to 10-inch upright stems. Different varieties of bugleweed differ on account on foliage and flower color, but all are easily grown with runners.