I have one in the front yard. Its in a mostly sunny spot, decent soil (not too sandy, not too rich) with some hardy cactus, russian sage and salvias. Mine doubled in size last year (first year) and I know it bloomed for a little bit at one point but I honestly can't say I remember the color. I remember reading, too, that it could be white or it could be a blue/lilac color. Having said that, I don't think its really grown for the flowers - I chose it because its low-growing habits and color (you're absolutely right - this with a dark purple ajuga would be beautiful! Like I said, mine is with the dark purples of salvia and light blues of russian sage but a deep, almost black purple would be beautiful with this!). I'm right on the border of zone 5 and 6 in Michigan. I'm sure I don't need to tell you what a crazy winter we had and, even though snow insulates, we still had a few weeks for -10ð and my creeping sunshine made it through. Never dragged a hose across mine, and its still quite small, but it seems to be very dense and matted so I would imagine, after a little maturing, it would be able to stand up against a hose. If you already have them give them a try and if they don't work out then I have some false lamium I can send you... talk about a resilient ground cover (JUST KIDDING lol)

Hi Idabean, It is full sun and the soil is definitely not too rich! It was so bad that I decided to go with plants that would survive in poor soil. It is clay, and by mid summer you would be hard pressed to get a shovel into that soil even with the mulch I have down. Also in that pic is 'Miss Linguard' Carolina Phlox, an antique gallica rose, a dianthus, lupine, an historic iris and off to the side that you can't see, I also have a non-flopping baptisia. I am surprised that the lupine has thrived there. Though sometimes while it blooms, the leaves droop if there has not been a lot of rain so I do water it during that period. Remy

The foliage of S.B.B. always looked like cr*p - deformed, funky mess. How that plant every got plant of the year is beyond me. If you want veronica, hunt down "Lavender Charm". It is a terrific cultivar. The light purple flower spikes are long and graceful - just a beautiful sight - and the foliage is not unattractive. It can get mildew-y like any other veronica, but location in full sun with good air circulation should help alleviate that problem. :0)

From the photos and what you've described I don't think the overhang should be a big issue. It would be extending out three inches into the family room, about the size of the palm of your hand (w/o fingers even). You would probably want a foot or two of clearance for chairs/stools or 2.5-3 feet for walking between the bar and any furniture anyway, you could probably eat into that for laying out furniture without too much difficulty. As far as the look of it goes, it is a very slight difference well away from your doorway so it should be difficult for someone to notice. You might want to go over with some cardboard and position a fake bar along the edge so you can see how it would look. If you decide to go with the overhang and then don't like the intrusion you could probably obscure the protrusion further by putting tall potted plants (or something else tall) near the door edges to make their position fuzzier and have them look even with the bar.