I have a north facing hillside that I'd prefer to not have to weed. Bermuda grass and sheep sorrel (two really horrible rhizome spreading nightmares) are endemic in my neighborhood. So I've planted all tough plants that can compete back, and with each other. Some posters complain about rudbeckia black eyed Susans being invasive, but mine are struggling against the evening primrose and Bermuda grass: This was in May, when the primrose was all in bloom. Now daisies and echinacea are blooming, and they are too large to go down in the sea of invasives. The grasses as well are quite tough and hold their own. Gaura is the one plant I wish I could get to thrive here, but it's had trouble. Summer heat and drought tends to beat down the smaller invasives and lets the larger, tough grasses and coneflowers and daisies cement their place. I've released mint on this hill, as we churn through the fresh herb for cooking, but it has had trouble taking off. A month later, the beginnings of the echinacea flowers:

I received 3 helianthus "lemon queen" for mother's day. Unfortunately 2 of them didn't make it, but the 3rd one did... just barely. Seems, as the plant was just taking off, a ball from over the fence broke most of it off. It has since regrown but hasn't bloomed yet. I also just received 2 replacements from the company my daughter bought the originals from and will plant them as soon as it stops raining. (I may just have to build an ark if it doesn't stop soon!) I've also acquired some Boltonia from a neighbor and bought a black sambucus. Let's see... from seed I started some perennial sunflowers and heliopsis. Most of the new perennials did pretty good this first year but I imagine they'll do even better in the coming years! In the meantime, to fill in the gaps until the perennials fill out I planted tithonia, annual sunflowers, along with scarlet runner beans. Next spring I'm going to transplant a clematis too. All in all it was a successful year keeping the little darlings at bay. They've also made friends in the neighborhood and, now that they're a little older, mom lets them go to the friends' houses so most of the time they're gone. Peace at last. Thanks to everyone for their suggestions!

Phyllostachys vivax It is an aggressive, non-stop running bamboo. Good to 112-114. Lost a few leaves at 118. I'm in arizona with low humidity. Hot hot sun. Got down to 12 last year. Vivax ignored all of cold and heat. Spreads faster with lots of water. Will spread low and bushy first three years, then pops up some nice culms. Hears it is the fastest maturing (big culms) bamboo. From a one gallon plant, it went seven feet high and 40 odd culms in one year. Second year popped to ten feet. Rhizomes going out in every direction. We call it the borg plant because it assimilates EVERYTHING. My two cents. Toto

Thanks for the suggestions! We don't like grasses in the yard, especially after helping our neighbor get rid of some really, really invasive grass that Urban Gardener planted in their yard this past year. We have a lot of shrubs in the area already, and are looking for something more low-lying (less than 2"-8" tall) to fill in. I've never really had a thing for mondo grasses, but we all have our loves :) Between the three spreaders/clumpers above (veronica, epimediums, partridgeberry) we should be able to work something out to cover at least 60-70% of the area in question, which would mean 60-70% less weeding, and something to keep the ferns company during the winter when many of the other things have died back. I don't mind spending $$, I'm totally fine with that, but ... I don't want something that is a tiny 6" clump at full size, else we will be seriously spending a thousand dollars buying 200+ plants to fill the bed. Are the three aforementioned species relatively safe to plant near perrenials that die back down to the ground every year and re-sprout, or will they choke those out? If it is not safe, what kind of spacing should I be trying to maintain between these and other plants? (i.e. would the average spread diameter + 6" buffer be adequate?) I am normally really wary of non-native species, seems like most of the common ones are too invasive for my liking, which is why I had to ask. Search was turning up a ton of results, but I couldn't seem to refine it enough to find meaty info. Thanks again for the advice! BTW - Epimedium warleyense and versicolor flowers both look amazing! (see pics halfway down page)