I'm quite enjoying the newish patch of Ajuga I have, it set itself a short distance from the few originals which get a lot of shade. The new patch is spreading nicely and gets a little more sun (assuming we have sun!), it attracts many bees which is great for them. It does make great ground cover in the right place, if it's happy that's good, better than struggling with something which isn't so happy.
Marilyn, I wonder if you could find another ground cover plant to surround the Ajuga with, one which would beat it back or mingle with it? At the moment I don't have any suggestions, wood chip mulch sounds a good idea but complete ground cover with plants is a great way to go, preferably bee or insect friendly plants. This year I have lots of wild native Veronica growing near mine, where otherwise the ground would have been bare, I love it!