The Golden Ground Covers

Golden groundcovers act as living mulch that lights up the landscape

As living mulch, groundcovers do the same jobs that traditional mulch performs—they keep the garden tidy, protect the soil, and suppress weeds. With that in mind, we sell three groundcovers that pull off an additional effect that traditional mulch cannot achieve: the golden glow. You might expect us to sell only one variety, but we offer three versions because each cultivar delivers the gold in a different way—straight, bushy, or trailing.

African-style Marigold ‘Big Duck Yellow’

Marigold heights run the gamut from very short to very tall. Our customers have a Cinderella zone where they like a habit that is not too tall and not too small. The ideal candidate is beautiful in the pot, looks good in beds, and can create a carpet-like spread if needed. We are adding the Big Duck Marigolds to our spring program because they seem to fit that bill the best.

An African-style Marigold with the big pom-pom style blooms, Big Ducks like the summer heat, lift their flowers on very thick stems, and out-perform similar cultivars in both flower count and blooming season. At AAS they think the series is a winner and we can see why.

‘Big Duck Orange’—big flowers lifted up high where they can be seen

If you go with ‘Big Duck Yellow’, you should also look at ‘Big Duck Orange’. These two work well together in gardens because they lift their big flowers up high where they can be seen. Not only are the two plants striking side by side, but they also like to grow together. This is a very nice combination—ideal for those big showy Marigold beds that people like to see from spring to autumn because Big Ducks do well in those hot months in the middle. They have always looked good during our Field Day in August.

In the midst of this busy holiday season we just want to remind you that we will be accepting orders during the two-week break for Christmas and New Year’s, even though the office will be closed. For your convenience, our Pre-Order screens on the web site will be open, and orders may be placed via email or fax as well. We will respond to orders placed during the two-week holiday period after we return on January 6th.

As we close out another successful season, we would like to thank you for your business in 2019 and look forward to serving you in 2020 and for many years to come.

Happy New Year!