A Worthy Lawn Ornament: Ajuga Feathered Friends™ 'Flashy Flamingo'

Looking for something eye-catching for the garden? Just look for a ‘Flashy Flamingo’. 

From the Feathered Friends™ collection, Ajuga ‘Flashy Flamingo’ is no pink flamingo lawn ornament, funny and kitschy, and more of a spectacle than something elegant. No, this Bugleweed, easy to grow and wonderful for covering ground, is actually very classy. But its name indicates that it will catch the eye and jazz up the garden. And it does.

Bugleweed is evergreen or semi-evergreen in Zones 4-9. Ajuga ‘Flashy Flamingo’ has fairly small spoon-shaped leaves that stay in pretty good shape during the cold months. In the case of a four-season garden with snowy winters, you may forget to take note of Ajuga’s foliage when it is coldest. Snow may, in fact, cover it and cause you to forget. But it will be there, or it will be ready to quickly return in spring.

When it comes to Ajuga ‘Flashy Flamingo’, the ever-“green” foliage is actually golden yellow. That puts a different twist on Bugleweed, which often has true green or very dark foliage. The golden base is different and nice. But not until the pink flower spikes of Ajuga ‘Flashy Flamingo’ contrast with the bright and lemony foliage of the plant do we realize how different this variety is. 

The yellow foliage on Ajuga ‘Flashy Flamingo’ is actually quite a big deal. Many plants with golden leaves start out light green or saturated chartreuse and turn to yellow over time. Time is needed for the golden yellow tones to show themselves, and time also causes them to change yet again. But this variety has been bred to have leaves that start out golden yellow and stay that way, despite time and despite the heat of summer, which also can have a color-altering effect on many plants. Not so with Ajuga ‘Flashy Flamingo’….

This ensures that we gardeners can be confident that Ajuga ‘Flashy Flamingo’ will light up the ground. Its look is light and bright, and even though “flashy” might indicate otherwise, its pink flowers are respectably soft in tone. It catches the light and lightens things up in the garden, just as a plastic pink flamingo lawn ornament lightens the mood.

I’ve often admired those people who have flocks of plastic pink flamingos placed all over their lawns by others as good natured pranks. Have you ever driven by one of those houses? This isn’t a common sighting, but it surely brings a smile. I imagine those people—the ones who have been “flamingoed out”—must, themselves, be a lot of fun. They must be in clubs or organizations that are playing with them a little… good humor, good people. I think those fun people would like Ajuga ‘Flashy Flamingo’.

I’ve marveled at Ajuga for quite some time now. Inspired by a neighbor to plant some under a tree—a place that has soil that is so root-filled, it is hard to “work”—I realized how well Ajuga does in inhospitable spots. I’ve read that pine trees, while liking acidic soil, don’t do much to change the soil’s pH. But there is no doubt that the ground under my pines is acidic, and Ajuga not only settles into this root-crowded soil well, but it thrives in the acidity. Other parts of my yard that are neutral or alkaline are also fine spots for Ajuga. It does well, seemingly no matter what. 

If you’re like I am, liking to be fun and carefree but not being one who is drawn to social clubs, then you might not ever find that a flock of plastic pink flamingos has been placed all over your lawn. But you can position your own ‘Flashy Flamingos’ and be just as happy.