Mazus miquelii spreads rapidly by producing significant amounts of slender stolons which root at the nodes. The leaves are undivided and teethed along the margins. The blue or purple flowers are bilateral and have 5 petals which emerge during the summer.
I. Appearance and Characteristics
Mazus miquelii, commonly known as Miquel’s mazus or creeping mazus, is a species of herbaceous perennial groundcover native to Japan and China. Mazus reptans is now considered a heterotypic synonym of M. miquelii, but is still often used in the ornamental plant trade.
Mazus miquelii spreads rapidly by producing significant amounts of slender stolons which root at the nodes. The leaves are undivided and teethed along the margins. The blue or purple flowers are bilateral and have 5 petals, The plants flower during the months of June to August. This species is hermaphroditic and is pollinated by insects.
Mazus miquelii has been introduced in North America, and as such is considered an invasive weed, especially in parts of the north-eastern United States. This species thrives in damp, bog-like conditions, and cannot tolerate dry periods.
II. How to Grow and Care
Sunlight
Miquel’s mazus thrives best in environments with full sunlight, which greatly enhances its growth and health potential. These optimal light conditions involve receiving unfiltered sun for at least six hours daily. While miquel’s mazus can adapt to less intense light, substantial deviations may lead to suboptimal growth and vitality, as well as potential changes in foliage density and coloration. Outdoors, miquel’s mazus should be planted in areas with clear exposure to sunlight, ensuring a placement that aligns with its requirement for full sun to maintain robust health and maximize flowering.
Temperature and Humidity
Creeping mazus copes well across a wide range of temperatures and is reliably hardy in USDA zones 5 to 8. It prefers a warm and moist environment, and in warmer climates it is evergreen. In colder zones, the foliage may turn red and go dormant in the winter months. Hard frost may kill individual plants, though a colony usually fills in again when mild spring weather returns.
Watering
Originating from moist environments, miquel’s mazus thrives in conditions that mimic its natural habitat with consistent moisture. This species exhibits a preference for evenly damp soil and tolerates high humidity well. To maintain its lush growth, miquel’s mazus requires watering every week. As an herbaceous perennial, miquel’s mazus is often cultivated outdoors where it can benefit from natural rainfall patterns, particularly during its active growing season when water needs are heightened.
Soil
Creeping mazus prefers fertile, moist, loamy soil, but it is a robust species that tolerates a variety of soil types. If the soil is too hard-packed, the delicate rooting system will struggle to become established. It grows equally well in acidic, neutral, and alkaline soils. With soils that are too dry, adding mulch will help with moisture retention.
Fertilizing
You won’t have to worry about feeding creeping mazus if it’s planted in a rich and fertile soil. An annual light feeding of a slow-release variety in the spring, however, could promote better growth for plants that are in dry, poor-quality soil.
Pruning
Although pruning is not required, creeping mazus responds well to shearing with a mower when used as a replacement for turf grass in ground-cover situations.
Propagation
Creeping mazus spreads naturally as its roaming stems root themselves in soil. It is an easy matter to dig up some of these offshoots and transplant them. Here’s how:
- In spring after an established plant is actively growing, use a sharp knife or trowel to separate an offshoot stem that has rooted itself and lift it free of the mother plant.
- Immediately plant the offshoot in a new garden location and water it well. If planting with the intent of creating a new ground cover, space the plants 8 to 12 inches apart, as they will quickly spread to fill the space.
How to Grow From Seed
Creeping mazus spreads so quickly that it’s generally planted via nursery seedling flats, with plants spaced 8 to 12 inches apart and then allowed to fill in to create a carpet of greenery. However, if you are covering large areas with creeping mazus, it is possible to plant from bulk seeds sown over the area, much the way lawn seed is sown.
However, if you’re seeding an area previously covered with grass, make sure to remove as much grass as possible, including the roots. This will give creeping mazus the best chance of thriving, as it can’t outcompete the tenacious roots of turfgrasses.
Allow a decent amount of space between sown seeds, too. Remember, this plant has a fast-spreading, close-to-the-surface, sprawling root system. You don’t want the area to become overcrowded, as this can impact growth.
Potting and Repotting
Although it’s not a common way to grow creeping mazus, this plant can be grown in containers filled with standard potting mix. The low-growing trailing habit can make it a good “spiller” plant for the edges of a mixed container garden. A container of any type will do, provided it is well draining.
Overwintering
This plant generally requires no special winter preparation, though gardeners in colder zones may find that a layer of leaf mulch over the plants will prevent winter kill. Any covering should be raked off the plants as soon as the weather warms in the spring.
How to Get to Bloom
It’s rare for creeping mazus to withhold blooms during its normal flowering period, late spring though mid-summer. If it does not bloom adequately, it may be because it is not getting enough sunlight or water—both of which are necessary for profuse blooming. If both these cultural needs are adequate, then feeding the plant with balanced fertilizer may give the plants a needed nutritional boost.
An old, overgrown patch of creeping mazus may stop blooming because the plants become too crowded. In this case, rejuvenate the colony by digging up the plants, dividing the roots, and replanting the pieces 8 to 12 inches apart. The colony usually responds quickly with vigorous growth and ample flowering.
Pests and Diseases
Common Pests and Plant Diseases
Creeping mazus is not a victim of any common serious pests or diseases, but it can be subject to damage from slugs and snails. These pests are best handled by removing them by hand, or with snail/slug baits placed in the garden.
Common Problems
There are very few cultural problems with creeping mazus if it’s grown in its established hardiness range, but occasionally you may notice brown patches appearing in the otherwise uniform carpet of green. In the colder end of the hardiness range, this can be a symptom of winter kill caused by hard frost. Unless the frost is very hard and prolonged, winter kill usually corrects itself in the spring as surrounding plants fill in to replace dead patches.
Brown patches can also be caused by soil that is too dry. Creeping mazus plants like plenty of moisture, and may die back if allowed to become too dry during hot months.
