"For a perennial garden, flowering thyme is such a nice addition because it's both ornamental and edible," says Tara Nolan, author of Gardening Your Front Yard.
This incredibly hardy plant features a lovely red color—hence the name "Dragon's Blood."
This low-growing plant features succulent, spreading leaves, and striking flowers that open in the sunshine and close when it's shadier. "'Firespinner' is one of the lovelier varieties," says Nolan.
Black foliage might not be your first choice, but when you see how beautiful this grass is, you might change your mind.
The Latin name, sempervivum means "live forever," which should give you a sense of how these tough, drought-resistant plants hold up.
Commonly known as lilyturf, all four species of these grass-like blooms are perennials. The towering purple buds make an appearance starting in the late summer and into the fall.
Consider this one of the easier perennial ground covers, namely because it can bloom in partial shade with moist soil. Bonus: it's also one of the sweetest-smelling.
Known as Lamium maculatum, this perennial plant is deer- and rabbit-resistant and boasts a lengthy bloom time: from mid-spring to early summer.
These blooming beauties come in a variety of colors—white, purples, blues, and pinks—and won't grow taller than six inches.