Of course, Gardengal is right that groundcovers can be aggressive spreaders, and can overwhelm the competition. But that ability to overwhelm is not absolute. I refer back to my original post; I purposely plant multiple groundcovers in an area specifically to see which one will overwhelm the other(s); which one will "win", as I put it. The philosophy here is that the most adaptable, fastest growing, tallest, etc. plant will overwhelm the rest. In the real world, however, I find that this is often (never?) not the case. The examples I list above are groundcover combinations that currently happily co-exist in my garden. The effects can be very pleasing and interesting, and have some practical implications as well. Let me further expound on one such combination that I am using in a large raised bed. I planted Fragaria chiloensis with Potentilla neumanniana in close proximity. Both are prostrate groundcovers with similar (but not identical) cultural requirements, and roughly the same height. Once established, the Potentilla is somewhat more vigorous and dense, but the Fragaria is slightly taller, popping up in random patches and drifts through the Potentilla. The visual impact is quite nice. The Potenilla leaves are small, lacy, and a light green color. The Fragaria leaves are larger, rounder, and darker green. The contrast is outstanding. Now, there are multiple practical advantages to this combination as well, beyond the aesthetic. 1) Both are drought tolerant, but the Fragaria is somewhat more so. The Fragaria tends to colonize the drier areas of the bed, while the Potentilla dominates in the wetter ones. They happily coexist in the area that has optimum moisture for both. With the combination, I can completely cover areas that have different moisture profiles; without the combination, I may have poorly covered, or even bare spots. 2) They flower at different times. The Fragaria has a flush of white spring flowers, and then the flowering diminishes (for the most part). The Potentilla flowers all summer with its small yellow flowers. Each will have sporadic flowering year-round. I have good flowers spring through fall; with each dominating a different season than the other. 3) The Fragaria is more cold tolerant that the Potentilla. In winter, the Potentilla begins to brown somewhat, but the Fragaria stays dark green. I still have some winter interest with the combination. The Potentilla rules the summer, the Fragaria rules the winter. 4) Each has slightly different shade tolerance. The Fragaria will grow in shadier areas than the Potentilla. The Potentilla is the more aggressive species overall, but the Fragaria is more suitable for shady spots. Again, this results in fewer bare spots than if I had used only one species. To add to the mix, I have some prostrate Lantana and Sedum interplanted in the mix. Both of these species can be used as groundcovers in their own right, but only if used alone or with other compatible plants. But, the Fragaria and Potentilla completely overwhelm them. However, the Lantana dutifully pops up through the groundcover each spring, resulting in random patches of nice foliage and purple flowers above the other plants (though not vigorous enough to choke them out). With the groundcover competition, this Sedum grows unusually for its type; it grows taller and flowers more profusely than a monoculture of this plant. It is incapable of overwhelming the other groundcovers, but adds some scattered interest throughout the planting. I'm not trying to discount what Gardengal says. I'm just saying that in the real world, groundcovers can and do co-exist, with some interesting aesthetic results and practical advantages. Certainly, if you have a formal garden, a monoculture might be recommended (for visual reasons). On the other hand, if you're like me, you like the more informal, forest-like quality of multiple plants growing in the same space. Cheers!

A couple of weeks ago I went to the vet to buy a 6 month supply of heartworm preventative and flea preventative for my three dogs and it was almost $500. I took the Great Dane today to get his yearly shots and tests and it was another $85. I had planned to take all three dogs today, but will wait for another monthly paycheck to come in before I take the other two. They aren't due for the annual stuff til June 11. I just did Luther's today because he is going to obedience school in about a week ( more money ) and I wanted to get his vet stuff out of the way. Linda

Of course one might argue that you've got a peninsula here not a wall, but the rules there are laxer than what you're envisioning.

I live in a very traditional Colonial Revival built in the 1920s, before the advent of mass production tract houses. It was custom built for the president of the Singer Sewing Machine company, and so considered high end for the time. It has 8-ft ceilings, and all the base trim is original. It's in 3 parts, a 7" flat panel, an ogee cap and an ogee shoe molding. All told it is 8" high and looks perfectly proportional. Any time we've done any renovations we've replicated the molding for consistency and aesthics, which I think is important when owning a fairly old home.