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(Dianthus)
With its neat mounds of blue-green spiky foliage and crisp pink flowers, dianthus makes a great front-of-the-border plant. Needs excellent drainage–it does well in decomposed granite and gravel–and full sun. ‘Bath’s Pink’ and ‘Firewitch’ are the most reliable here; they do best with drip irrigation rather than overhead watering.

(Melampodium leucanthum)
Little white daisies on a 6″-12″ evergreen mounding plant look great spilling over walls or filling in the front of a border. Native from Colorado south into Texas and Mexico, the blackfoot daisy needs good drainage, sun and not too much water–wonderful combined with autumn sage, rock roses and ornamental grasses. Mow it to 4 or 5 inches in late winter to encourage denser growth.

(Aspidistra eliator)
This was a favorite potted plant in Victorian parlors—partly because you can’t kill it—but we can grow it outdoors here, in the darkest nooks where nothing else will thrive. Tall shiny leaves reflect light and add interesting texture in the shade. Cut off damaged leaves as needed. (Photo: Redwood Barn Nursery)

(Acanthus mollis)
The deeply divided, spiny leaves and tall white flower spikes of this Mediterranean native make an architectural statement in the garden. In fact, acanthus is the plant you see carved on the Corinthian capitals of Greek and Roman buildings. Touchy about temperature—may flop in the hottest part of the summer and freeze below 15 degrees—so if you must have a perfect plant all year, this one’s not for you. Comes back strongly in the temperate seasons though, and stunning enough to make it worth the trouble.

(Scutellaria suffrutescens)
Shrubby and indestructible, this evergreen native perennial is a great edging for the front of the border. It has the same tiny leaves and shrubby form as a germander, but grows much better here. Tiny hot-pink tubular flowers appear all summer; if you shear it after the first big bloom it will be denser and bloom more later. Loves full sun and needs almost no water; not picky about soil.