Vigorous and eye-catching, Aubrieta deltoidea (Rock Cress) is a mat-forming, semi-evergreen perennial plant that produces delightful, vivid purple-red flowers in mid-late spring to early summer. The blossoms are so abundant that they almost completely cover the gray-green foliage below, creating a striking scenery. Low and trailing, Aubrieta excels as ground cover, planted between stepping stones, along pathways, or in the crevices of stone walls. Easy care, Aubrieta is perfectly suited as a rock garden plant where it will reward you with a long-lasting carpet of delicate flowers. Native to the Mediterranean region, Aubrieta is a very cold hardy alpine plant that deserves a spot in sunny gardens.

Phlox subulata 'scarlet Flame' (Creeping Phlox) is an incredibly eye-catching evergreen perennial with masses of vibrant scarlet-red flowers, which enthusiastically blanket the dark green, needle-like foliage in mid to late spring. Strong and vigorous, it forms a lovely cushion and adds splashes of color for about 3-4 weeks. Perfect for rocky areas, slopes and flower borders.

A stunning plant for year-round interest, Euphorbia characias subsp. wulfenii is a statuesque evergreen shrub that enjoys months of chartreuse flowers. Upright, it features erect stems with spirally arranged narrow blue-green leaves. They are decoratively topped with thick bottlebrush-like greenish-yellow flowers in spring, which consist primarily of glowing lime-yellow bracts with purple nectar glands. Remaining attractive during all its growing season, this remarkable plant is resilient to most pests and diseases and is deer and rabbit-resistant.

Lamb's Ears (Stachys byzantina) is a wonderful evergreen perennial, mostly grown for its rich rosettes of showy, velvety, silvery tongue-shaped leaves, resembling lamb's ears and bringing interest to the border. Pink-purple flower spikes appear in late spring or early summer. Their fuzzy flowers add textural interest, but cutting them off promotes foliage growth and improves the plant's vigor.

Helianthemum 'Raspberry Ripple' (Rock Rose or Sun Rose) is an eye-catching low-growing evergreen shrub resembling a flower carpet from late spring to midsummer. Abundant, showy, saucer-shaped, crimson to rose flowers, 1 in. across (3 cm), tipped with white and adorned with a boss of central yellow stamens literally smother the plant. While the flowers are the main attraction, the evergreen foliage of silvery-green, lance-shaped leaves, is almost as compelling. Because of its ground-hugging habit, 'Raspberry Ripple' makes a terrific ground cover for a sunny location. Once established, this Mediterranean native is very drought tolerant and quite resilient, without being invasive.

One of the best and most colorful of all Blue Fescue varieties, Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue' is a wonderful dwarf ornamental grass, mostly grown for its superb, evergreen, bright silver-blue foliage. Densely tufted, the foliage of finely-textured, blade-like needles forms a neat mound topped by upright flower plumes in summer. At first, the flowers are colored like the foliage before maturing to light tan. Stunning when massed as a ground cover, Blue Fescue adds a superb color accent to the landscape all year around. Drought tolerant, deer resistant, it requires low maintenance and low watering

Dryopteris filix-mas (Male Fern) is a large, deciduous fern with erect, stout rhizomes supporting graceful bouquets of lance-shaped, dull green fronds. Tapering at the base, each frond (blade) is pinnate-pinnatifid with 20-30 pairs of long-pointed leaflets per blade. Turning coppery in fall, this most adaptable and robust fern thrives on neglect and is pest and disease free. Male Fern is a great asset for shady, difficult corners of the garden.

Slow-growing, Picea pungens 'Globosa' (Colorado Spruce) is a dwarf, broadly pyramidal, densely branched, evergreen shrub with rigid, silvery blue needles. The attractive blue needles hold their color well throughout the year. A very charming Colorado Spruce that stands out in the garden, specifically in the spring when the new growth is at its most intense blue. Perfect for rock gardens, border fronts and small gardens.

Rich with a pleasing clove fragrance, Dianthus gratianopolitanus 'Firewitch' (Cheddar Pink) is an evergreen perennial which produces an abundance of brilliant, purplish-pink, small flowers with frilled petals atop wiry stems. Rising from tufted mounds of grassy, blue-gray, silvery foliage, they bloom in mid to late spring, in such quantities that the blossoms literally cover the plant. Some sporadic rebloom in the summer and fall will occur, specifically if the plant is deadheaded regularly.

Very compact and free flowering, Dianthus 'Candy Floss' (Pink) is a charming evergreen perennial with masses of highly scented, fully double, pale sugar pink flowers, adorned with purplish-red markings near the center. The delicately toothed petals develop darker shades of pink at maturity. Blooming in late spring through summer (with regular deadheading), the elegantly ruffled blossoms rise on short, stout stems above a low cushion of grassy, blue-green leaves.