I have naturalized California poppy (Escholtzia?) over my bulbs. Here is WV, it only starts to bloom after the little spring bulbs (galanthus, eranthis, crocus, scilla, etc.) have finished, and it does not overwhelm the later, taller bulbs. Then it fills in while the bulb foliage ripens. And about this late July time of year, I do a massive weeding which eliminates the spent poppies, and the masses of weeds which have grown while the poppies bloomed and the bulbs ripened, and clears the ground for the late summer bloomers - rhodophiala, colchicum, crocus. By that time, the poppies have shed their seed which will start to germinate soon and develop into small plants, many of which survive the winter to bloom in late spring. Note: I do not grow for public display, so there are lots of times when my gardens are beautiful only to my eyes. Dell in Salem, WV, USA, usda zone 6? (last two winters have gone down to -10 F) -------------------------------------------- On Mon, 7/20/15, Jane McGary <janemcgary@earthlink.net> wrote: Subject: Re: [pbs] layering bulbs with other plants To: "Pacific Bulb Society" <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org> Date: Monday, July 20, 2015, 1:47 PM If a plant that can also climb is being considered as a groundcover over bulbs, I would not recommend the Akebia that, as a mystery plant, started the recent discussion. Akebia spreads underground and can be very difficult to eradicate, and its wirelike stems can really strangle shrubs. An alternative that seems to be working well here is Parthenocissus henryana (it may now be P. henryi?), which has beautiful foliage with silvery zones on each leaf. So far it has not traveled underground, though the stems can root down shallowly, in which case they are easy to pull up. It has climbed a brick house wall, but its gripping tendrils are fragile, unlike those of ivy, and control is not difficult. I think it must normally climb trees and shrubs. It is deciduous (after lovely fall color), so spring bulbs complete their growth before the cover plant leafs out. During summer mine is coexisting without apparent problems with shrubs such as Daphne and Mahonia (Berberis), which it shows no inclination to climb, and perennials such as Iris unguicularis and hellebores. I tried to grow this Parthenocissus in my former garden without success; probably it could not tolerate the fast-draining soil there, but it's now happy in heavily mulched clay soil. jane McGary Portland, Oregon, USA _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.ibiblio.org http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/