ella - what a lovely space you created! To help keep the soil in good shape you'll need to add organic matter yearly. Compost spread as mulch in late fall topped with irregular wood chips has worked well for our beds. I reach into the beds in spring using whatever tool is handy to be sure the mulch is pulled back from the plants, but don't dare step into the beds because the soil is just too soft & wet. Slug control is 3 pronged - sluggo type bait, hunt & remove when soil is moist, & also spray with ammonia water... Repeat. Repeat. Especially vigilant late summer to get all the adults possible and in early spring spray often with the ammonia water to get in & around emerging hostas to prevent damage. You're right that Burgundy Glow ajuga spreads less vigorously than Bronze Beauty, but in my 9 month wet climate still spreads fairly well. --3 Burg. Glow bareroot starts from a plant swap this April -- poor soil mulched with coarse wood chips around stepping stones across a low area in part shade became 30+ by now in August spreading out 3 feet square! --spring planted Bronze Beauty 12" apart on center by the next spring was solid around stepping stones, hose reel, etc. That patch is easily 4 feet x 6 feet up & over each other so that not all even rooted just runners spread. Easy care for that area when stepped upon & an easy source of countless starts for other gardens. In another area about 10 runners removed & planted became 3 feet x 6 feet in a year's time growing over pathway rocks toward stepping stones in the middle of the path. If you keep an eye on it & remove the excess runners your hosta will be safe. Otherwise the ajuga will over run & shoot runners between stems & even into the crown. Since the biggest growth spurt is in late spring I just snip the runners in early summer before they root. I am running out of new garden space and friends who don't have their own ajuga patch.

Thanks Randy North of Florida palms has the best deals on Princeps I have seen,that's where I got the 3 I have -one is planted. Seeing them up close might leave you a little more torn between the two. That said,I love Waggies too! Here's the One I have planted- chadec I know exactly what you mean about Aloifolia! Mine snapped(in high winds)2 years ago or it would be 6' right now at least! They root easily so,no worries there-mine is secured to a small post now...probably would have been halved anyway when the "G-house collapsed in the blizzard last winter. Here's a picture(s) of the Cactus cover - Note how tall it is in respect to the railing- and check put what it looked like collapsed under 15"+ of snow! Here is a link that might be useful: Princeps

Ya Tammy I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to meet up, I know your time is taken up with family but one of these days we're going to have to meet each other lol. It started snowing yesterday morning and it didn't stop until around 4 this morning from what I understand. Kathy is that South Carolina? When we lived there, Shaw AFB got a coating of sleet, and it was thick, kept my kids entertained for two days with a sheet of plexi-glass and the hilly terrain behind our house lol. I know Moni, she sailed past me too lol. ((((Tammy)))) You are so right Sheliajoyce, it's a lot better to get it off the roof, but it does make neighbor entertaining moves when you try to get out of the house ;o) Thanks Liz, I hope you are in being all warm and cozy while you enjoy your snow. Thanks everybody, at the end of the day I still have a bunch on the roof and the yard is still covered, we went to Don's Barbecue for Supper which provided us a great view of all the snow for several miles, even the junky places were beautiful. :) Nite nite all!

I appreciate it and I will think about it but it's my choice to take on all these animals. The shelters that I work with rehabbing wildlife, donate almost all of my dog and cat and raccoon food. I also feed it to the hogs and I am getting ready to sell 12 of them, so that money goes to the horses. Right now I am waiting (and stressing) over that double payment for Val, to be resolved by PayPal.