I bought a book about 6 years ago because I thought the price was right and I was excited by the advance info included in the advertisement. When it arrived, I glanced through it and placed it on the shelf with my other garden books thinking maybe it wasn't the bargain I had anticipated. It contained some good information about plants, and included a plant selection guide with some color pics. But the majority of plant specifics was in paragraph form with black and white drawings that are not necessarily true to exact form, in my opinion. Over the years I have periodically referred to the book when trying to determine a specific species of plant but usually found what I was looking for in other reference books. So today, stymied by a particular ground cover I just could not identify, I grabbed this book and actually found the plant after confirming through some additional web research. Wedelia trilobata is a perennial ground cover that pretty much roots wherever it wants. It is tolerant of heat, drought and salt and that is why it does so well in the corner of our back yard. It is pretty and is actually a member of the aster family; I like asters, but this is pretty daggone invasive. The good news is that it pulls up very easily - the bad news is that it replenishes itself quickly. I have found the best control is the lawn mower. You know, the one my dad gave me although I'm sure any lawn mower could do the trick.

I looked at a few references on the net and found it is apparently extremely invasive in Australia and French Polynesia. In fact, it is so worrisome they are tracking the plant and determining ways to chemically eradicate it. As the old saying goes, "one person's trash is another's treasure" but I can understand their concern. Anyway, I think I have this creeper under control (famous last words)and it sure is pretty in the corner where it resides. I pull handsful of it out every so often and of course run it over with the mower every two weeks whether it needs it or not. I'm just so happy to finally know what's growing here. Oh, the book I found it in? The Southern Living Garden Book. It bills itself as the complete encyclopedia of more than 5,000 southern plants and it probably does list that many. It really does contain a lot of good reference material. The part I don't care for is the pictures in the front of some private gardens containing no plant identification and, as I mentioned, the lack of good, clear illustrations. Anyway, it helped me nail down what I needed so I'll give it the credit it's due. And I'll keep an eye on the creeping daisy and make sure it doesn't start spreading toward our pals in Australia from this yard. Happy Florida Gardening.