Aint, that's wild garlic? I thought all the alliums had round, globe-like flowers? I have blooming garlic and onions with white and purple globe-flowers (the flowers smell like onions and garlic) that are stunning to look at.

I have a butterfly-weed plant that looks nothing like yours -- it has scanty purple flowers in late July, and the aroma is.... chokingly awful. The flowers smell like carrion. Dax and I couldn't believe it.... it stinks so bad we're going to have to dig it up from where we planted it (near our swimming pool) and either chuck it or put it way off behind the house somewhere that the smell won't reach us.

What kind of ground cover grows well from seed? Something that blooms and will grow in direct sun, clay soil, from seed?

Aint, that's wild garlic?

Well, it aint shallots and it aint chives, so I deem it wild garlic. It smells like garlic.

Butterfly weed, butterfly bush and butterfly plant are the common names given to several varieties of milk weed (of which their are several varieties of) that attract and provide nectar to butterflies and or leaf food to caterpillars.

Alyssum should cover small to medium areas of ground in the late spring through summer and comes in many colors, but it's an annual.
Sedum is a succulent that may do as a perennial as far as zone 3.
Creeping Thyme is something you may get to keep through the winter. Some types are more hardy than others.

I have something wild growing in my lawn that my deceased neighbor always called "Creeping Charley"... quite an appropriate name, I'd say, and the damn thing just about takes over wherever it goes. It might do lovely as a ground cover though, as it seems to flourish even in not too fertile soil.

The neighbor had that name for it, but after thinking about it recently, I'd say it looks like a common houseplant called Swedish Ivy. I'm going to try this year and stick some of it in a hanging pot and see if it takes root and grows.

I have something wild growing in my lawn that my deceased neighbor always called "Creeping Charley"... quite an appropriate name, I'd say, and the damn thing just about takes over wherever it goes. It might do lovely as a ground cover though, as it seems to flourish even in not too fertile soil.

The neighbor had that name for it, but after thinking about it recently, I'd say it looks like a common houseplant called Swedish Ivy. I'm going to try this year and stick some of it in a hanging pot and see if it takes root and grows.

Beautiful flowers and photos!

Swedish Ivy comes in solid light to dark green and green variegated with white. A ground cover that has the ruffly leaves and spreading habit similar to Swedish Ivy is mint; both spearmint and peppermint.

Spreading habit? You're not kidding! Mint will take over your yard, your neighbor's yard.... perhaps the world if allowed. If you decide to plant mint, it's a good idea to plant it in a container, because it's spreading habit will cause it to be such an effective ground cover that it will push out every other living thing.

Ivy as a ground cover can be nice... but I've seen it get kind of dusty and tired-looking. Don't let ivy climb up your masonry buildings, despite the appeal of "ivy-covered halls" of brick. Ivy (over some years) will eventually break apart and ruin brick and stone facing, bringing big repair bills.

Yeah, I planted mint in one of my raised beds several years ago. It managed to jump the barrier and into our lawn. We were considering replacing the lawn anyway...so hint, I guess the mint isn't such a bad idea. It smells lovely.