I have some love/hate groundcovers myself. I think the biggest criteria for my love/hate ratio is the combination of how it grows (fast/slow) and where it is located. i.e. not all fast growers are hated if they are in the right place I just pulled out about 100 sq ft of pachasandra because it just got everywhere. I will miss it in the winter. (pre-snowcover). I have a huge patch of bunchberry (Cornus canadensis) that spreads very quickly, but it is in a part-shade woody tree-shrub area and it really seems to fit the woodland less-manicured feel. I also suspect it would be hard to eradicate if I wanted to. It has those thin roots that go everwhere and break easily. But I love it where it is. I have creeping veronica Waterperry in a perennial bed and it stays put nicely. Love it. I also have Georgia Blue but it is much more aggressive. I have to pull it back severely twice a year. Dislike it (but not enough to remove it). I have a gold variegated one that barely grows. I moved it this year to a new place it may do better. Lamium 'Pink Nancy' wanders and blends in nicely. It pulls out easily if it wanders too far. Love it. Ajuga, love it in bloom (have Choc Chip and Crispa Metallica). Neutral otherwise. Need to have something interesting (and strong) nearby. I'm trying out Hosta Kabitan. Thymes... love the daintiness... hate that they don't suppress weeds so well. Geranium Biokova... I consider that more as a specimen perennial than a groundcover, but I can see it is somewhat of both. Love it. Sedge, Treasure Island...grows slowly, love it because it can go anywhere safely, but unless it is cut back with other perennials, it looks messy far into spring until the new growth covers the old stuff. Cutting back a groundcover is not a fun thing. I used to when I had a little, but now its out of the question. I enjoyed and saved this old thread about groundcovers in link below. I haven't read it in a while, but it might be interesting after reading this thread.

wanna run faster: In warmer climates such as yours the ones in the pots are likely getting warm roots. They don't care too much for that. I live in zone 6 and even here in the summer they don't like being pots as well as being in the ground. (Not without frequent watering. Like twice a day.) If you simply must have one in a pot, you need to build a wodden box around the pot to keep the sun off it and to allow air to flow around the roots. But as others have said, your's should all be in the ground and happy to stay there. karmahappytoes: Are you using the drilled bucket method? It makes lifting them in the Fall much easier. I have about a dozen that are in 3 gallon buckets (heavy plastic buckets too, not the cheap stuff) and have 1.5"-2" holes drilled all around the sides. Not in the bottom though! In the Fall I just do my pruning back, then run a shovel down the side all the way around to cut the roots and lift the whole thing out of the ground. You do your lifting and root pruning all in one fell swoop! Here are some pictures that illustrate what I'm talking about. The first two photos are of the same plant, btw. Started with a good sized cutting, grew it out in a regular pot while waiting for last frost. Potted up into the bucket and then planted. In the Fall I put them into the basement to go dormant. In the Spring I bring them out to wake up as soon as it's warm but I hold off planting until after last frost. I usually get them into the ground in late April/early may and have had blooms on the established plants by June. And several flushes throughout the summer. Drilled bucket: Pruning example: After lifting:

Hi Bri from Plumie World. Thanks for the compliments on the pics. I love my gardens, but spend a disproportionate amount of time with the Plumeria! I am looking forward to mixing things up with the Brugs. Yours is gorgeous, and I would be very excited about adding it to my yard. I will email you. Lucy (ringggg) is right... you are very nice to share. There seems to be alot of that in this forum. Lucy... apparently I need a new computer. But my wife thinks I spend too much time at this one, as it is! Mahalo nui loa, Bob

Marcia if you could get them established in FL while you are there they might be able to withstand neglect over the summer. Bring some rooted cuttings down with you and get them right in the ground. When do you head down and when do you come back? I'm surprised you aren't already there. Unfortunately FL has experienced some unusually cold temps over the past few years, even in So. FL. I spend time in West Palm and Boca every winter and recall several nights with temps at or near freezing. I remember a couple years ago weeks and weeks with way below normal temps. Everything looked like %$#@ down there and a lot was lost. Normally you get a day or two of cold temps in So FL but that was something like a month straight of cold. I couldn't believe I had to shop for winter cloths down there. Could you try a layer of mulch during the cold? Something thick but with a lot of air pockets, like crushed leaves? You could circle the brug with some chicken wire and fill in the space between the stem and wire with the leaves. It would also prevent the soil from drying out too quickly and break down and enrich the soil. Are there any year round residents near your house that you could pay to water the brugs once a week over the summer? Good luck.