Expert: Laura Walker - 3/24/2005

Question
I am very lazy and love flower gardens.  I have planted sparaxis(?) in an enclosed garden in full sun in my yard.  I would like to plant some type of ground cover over them to keep from having to weed all the time.  Do you have any suggestions?  Will ground cover harm my bulbs? Do you think it will work? I live in the south, so heat resistance is an issue.
Thanks!

Answer
Cindy,
I live in zone 6,western Kentucky. We have a native groundcover that some folks may call weeds.The wild Violet.They are evrywhere in the spring and they are a bright purple blue and when in full bloom they are breathtaking. So I leave them around my bulbs to create a natural setting. They are great as a groundcover because they grow really low and don't allow other weeds to grow because of their tough root system.If you live in the south you probably have them as well.Love them!
If they get too thick you just dig them up and throw them away.Easy to care for.No watering at all.
If you don't have them in your yard perhaps a neighbor of family member has some.Ask around or just look around your area to see if there are any.If you would rather use something else here are some sources to look for groundcovers that do well in your area:

Here are some great sources to look at on the web:White Flower Farm,Musser Forests,Wayside Gardens, Shady Oaks Nursery,Walters Perennials(or Gardens),Jackson & Perkins,Khelm's Song Sparrow Perennial Farm,Van Bourgondien Bulbs,Van Dyck's Bulbs,Brent & Becky's Bulbs,Plants by Mail,Gardener's Supply Co.,Bluestone Perennials,Sheperds Seeds,Applewood seed Co.,Ball Seed Co.,Genesis Seeds,Ltd.(www.genesisseeds.com),Kieft Seed Co. USA(www.kieftseeds.com),Mountain Valley Seed,Inc.(www.mvseeds.com)

All these companies offer free catalogs too and a lot of specials if you order online.