You must only be growing upright sedums (such as 'Autumn Joy'); some of the "creepers" such as Sedum repestre 'Angelina' (my absolute favorite!) or Sedum spurium 'Fuldaglut' spread pretty agressively - but they're so easy to control, unlike thousands of random seedlings. . . Casual clumpers? Surprised no one has mentioned Hemerocallis (daylilies) which come in such a vast variety, both in height, bloom time and color. Lavender, of course, and Siberian iris (not bearded, which DO tend to expand),

My small bed in front of the house has a short 3 step walkway going up to an English Roseum Rhodo in full bloom right now on a second level I made with rocks, so it's slightly elevated above everything else. On the right side of the walkway is my Pat Austin getting ready to explode and further up the walkway(only 3 stepping stones long) is Belinda's Dream. In between PA and BD, I planted purplish/blue Capanula(bellflower)........and I love it. It is somewhat similar to phlox with more of petuniaesque bloom. On the left side of the walkway is WS2000 getting ready to bloom and since I didn't know if any roses would get enough sun farther down the walkway, I planted pink buddleia behind WS2000. In between the buddleia and WS2000, I planted yellow potentilla megalantha. I wanted some yellow in the front as I have little of it. It's a nice standard geranium sized plant that gives off solid 1.5 inch yellow blooms. I just bought some lamb's ear and silvermound, although I'm not sure what I am going to do with them yet.........I just like how they feel. The rest of the small front bed consists of Endless Summer Hydrangea(blue) which is caddy corner to Pat Austin, and then a horizontal line where WS2000 has purple cranesbill, neptune heuchera, plantain lilly hosta, and a large blue delphinium. I have a wide array of colors.......almost too much so, so I am adding in more hostas, and green foilage to try to fill in spots and add some green in.

My favorites: Perennial geraniums (right on Tess) for their length of bloom, beautiful colors, mounding/weaving forms which tie and anchor a garden together, lovely foliage. I have dozens. Clematis -- they are nothing more than big vining perennials --most abundant long bloomers in a garden, add height when grown on structures (or structural plants), take a few years to get going but then are anchors of the garden for years Hellebores -- for their very classy gorgeous late winter early spring flowers, tough constitution, beautiful foliage Epimediums -- gorgeous delicate flower belies toughness and beautiful foliage, great variety still virtually unknown to most gardeners Salvias - gorgeous colors and long bloom, both hardy and tender types Veronicastrums -- the candleabras of the summer garden Nepetas -- who would not love those long lasting blues Monardas --anchors of the July garden, so many colors, hummers! Asters -- premier plants of fall (along with grasses), I love A. oblongifolius because it is a tidy mound and is browse resistant, unlike its brethren Siberian iris -- so elegant in bloom, so many great varieties Patrinia scabiosifolia -- what a great airy sulphur yellow. and on and on....

My snowdrops are blooming!!!!!!! My favorites change with the season. I really love my yellow tree peony and epimedium rubrum, but love everything else when it blooms. When we moved to this house 30 years ago, one bed had several peonies (which still do well, they need ants to cause the buds to open) and a million purple phlox which bloomed at the same time as a million orange-red poppies, both of which are abundant self-seeders. The color combination was horrible but the poppies, seen in a mass were quite astonishing. I've weeded out the purple phlox, saved the pink and bi-color and moved them but they almost always get mildewed in mid summer, doesn't affect their bloom. The poppies were also weeded out, very difficult to do because a small bit of root left behind will quickly regrow. I've saved a few and some pop up in strange places, they need constant vigilance. NOTE, this is a local type and looks different from the red, clump forming poppies. Each of the orange blossomed ones lasts literally one day, then drop their petals, making something of a mess. They also leave a bare space in summer, growing leaves only spring and fall. I dont have much luck with purple floxglove or the perennial ones (purperea?)I wish I did but I now have a thriving colony of the wild yellow ones. They are quite tall and are also perennial. I harvested seed from some growing along the road side a number of years ago. There used to be a lot on the roadside below the current Wallmart in Ulster. Columbine...I now have several different types, Nora Barlow (double burgundy and white,grown from seed) and lots of pink to blue to purple...a favorite is pink with green tinge. All do well, self seed everywhere but prefer to grow in the random bluestone walk. I think they like cool roots and good drainage. I've noticed the wild (red with yellow) prefer to grow on rock faces. Many get leaf miner which doesnt affect them much. Siberian Iris do very well, older dark purple-blue given by my 80 year old neighbor 30 years ago, and 10 year old white which look fantastic with the pink peonies. I did loose a 10'x2' border of the purple ones one winter, totally eaten, not a single one left, devoured by voles tunneling under the snow I had piles on top of them. Since they self seed, I again have a bunch. Occasionally get some kind of worm that eats the buds. Hollyhocks are one of my favorites, (the deer also love to eat the leaves, I try to cover them with chicken wire in the early spring until the deer find other things to eat) mine are all pale shades of yellow, pink, coral, single.I'm totally opposed to the doubles which look like kleenex flowers I made in 3rd grade. All from seed I gathered here and there. Had some violent fushia pink ones that looked bad with everything but have removed them. Bee balm does spread a lot but if you have room to let it go somewhere, the hummers do love it. It also gets mildewed but doesnt seem to harm it. I have a wonderful dark maroon one from a friend.