Josh, I've been growing oxalis crassipes (pink flowers, gray-green foliage) around my roses for years. I use them to edge several beds, and I've never had them get out of control. If they start to creep too close to the roses (I have mulch directly under the roses), I just dig some for the next person who asks for a start. I also grow oxalis triangularis (lavender flowers, very dark purple/black foliage) which some people grow in pots. It does perfectly well here in the ground. I have it in only one bed where I have other bulbs planted that grow up through during the various seasons. This oxalis has never jumped the edging. It's far less vigorous than oxalis crassipes. Once upon a time I grew oxalis regnellii (white flowers, gray-green foliage). It was the least vigorous of the three. I'm not sure I even have any left. All of the ones I mentioned were about 5-7 inches tall and grew into a solid groundcover. I believe I bought my oxalis at a favorite nursery in Cedar Hill (that has since closed - they had lovely old roses), but I have also seen oxalis in many, many places in the Metroples - even the big box stores. Sometimes it is located with the shade plants so you might look there. The only drawback to oxalis crassipes is that it browns and disappears when the temps are in the 90s - if - the bed is in full sun. It stays vigorous in my partially shaded beds, and of course thrives with plenty of moisture. The oxalis triangularis is in a partially shaded bed so I don't know if it disappears in the very hot sun. This trait of disappearing doesn't bother me; usually I have enough other things growing that no one notices that the oxalis is not there. But everyone does notice when it is there. Hope this helps some. If you like the look, I recommend it for North Central Texas. Lou

oxalis pes caprae doesn't go to seed. it's a noxious invasive from south africa and grows by bulb. as the plant grows it increases bulblets. these fall off readily when the plant is pulled, leaving many where there was just one. when i pull oxalis i don't pull at all but rather get a spade underneath it and i throw away all the dirt in the spade. the bulbs are tiny and impossible to pick out, so i accept losing some topsoil. i inherited a yard full of lawn, and when i moved in my focus was on eradicating the grass. the oxalis was dormant and so i unwittingly spread these bulblets all over my yard when i amended my soil. i have no idea the extent of the damage because it's not even yet fall, but i have stopped planting because i know i have a battle ahead. spraying only extends to the first bulb. all the other bulblets survive it. so digging methodically and regularly seems the only way to go. mulching with bark is futile. the oxalis will grow right up through it. i have had some success with spreading newspaper between my ornamentals and mulching over it, but i think this will just prevent new bulb growth, not kill it. i still have to weed them from around the crowns of my ornamentals, and i do so every single day. i think if i keep this up for a few years i will probably win. even the most tenacious weeds have only so much stored energy, and if it never sees the light of day, it won't accrue more. i agree, it's critical not to let oxalis get a foothold. it's not a team player here and growing a dense garden won't stop it. it's been spotted in the wild now and will do damage. spending a half hour a day weeding it out is worth the effort. bulblets will survive composting so i usually save them in a bucket. they survive burning so i'm not sure what the proper way of disposing them is that won't spread them around california.

There are many species of Ranculcus called buttercups. The above idea to smother them with cardboard is a good one. You could also get out your shovel and dig them up. Whether you have the annual or perennial kind, there are probably many seeds on the ground that will be ready to sprout when the conditions allow it. So smothering might be best in that case. Cover the cardboard with mulch, and maybe put a single shrub (just 1 hole in the cardboard where you can easily control sprouts by pulling) so it doesn't look like an "empty space." You can maintain this space by simply pulling weeds when they sprout in the mulch (from seeds dropped by birds and blown by wind) and adding more mulch once every year or two, or let it decompose so the grass can creep back in.

I've been noticing a patch of oxalis (yellow flower) getting bigger each year in the lawn here in Central Victoria. I read that Metsulfron (Brush-Off, now beyond patent and now cheap) applied at the right time works well. I have tried it and it looks promising. The time is when flowering (winter) and the Metsulfuron actually passes to the bulbils and kills them at this time. I sprayed it 2 months ago and it has taken 6 weeks to die off and has left most lawn species ok (grasses etc) but not some other things in the lawn. It's a pretty rough "lawn" actually. It won't be till next winter that I will know that it has worked fully. The amount of Metsulfuron needed is quite tiny. It is supposed to be one of the less nasty of the hi-tech chemicals, but it does last for some time in the soil, so I'd not use it in a veggie patch.