Helianthemums - yellow, white, orange, pink and red available. Several low growing hardy geranium species. Aubretia, Iberis sempervirens, Aurinium saxatile, Saponaria ocymoides, Anthemis punctata subsp. cupaniana, Anthemis tinctoria, Dianthus, Festuca glauca (a grass), dwarf bearded iris - all classic tough full sun low growers. Tough hardy herbs like the various thymes, Oregano and different coloured Salvia officinalis. Lavender. BTW - Lysimachia nummularis needs moisture. It's a bog plant in its natural habitat. To start you off this season you could scatter Nasturtium, Limnanthes, Eschscholzia and other sun loving annual seed until your perennials fill out.

I'm not sure I want another salvia...just more to deadhead. I think I've seen Bee's Bliss somewhere. The area is about 35x5 across the top tier so that's a lot of deadheading. Wanda- I did like the texture of the Myoporum, if I can't have color then texture is good since the flowers he said aren't remarkable. I'm gonna go to other nursery this week and see. Probably everything will be dead, swimming or drowned. I'm still going to save some of the Lantana and put on first tier, will be easier to trim and the little finches and sparrows like it. I had seen blue star creeper on stepables but not sure about it. I think a little more invasive than I want. Plus I need a deeper root. When I'm pruning in the middle it's easier to go up and come down the steps on the left because it is so steep, so thats why I need it low for foot traffic a bit. Here's a pic I took in October.

Here's my experience gardening under conifers: I initially spread fine wood chips as mulch before planting. Since then debris (such as needles and cone scales) shed naturally add to the mulch. These plants are growing in partial to full shade: Linnea borealis - from a few starts, this has travelled many many feet. Much of it is in full shade. Cardamine trifolia - dense, evergreen, looks good anytime of the year. Cornus unalaschkensis (canadensis) Vancouveria chrysantha Pyrola asarifolia Coptis lacianata Galax aphylla (urceolata) Mahonia nervosa Blechnum spicant, deer fern I also planted Gymnocarpa dryopteris, oak fern, which is a beautiful decidous fern, but after a few years it started poking up aggressively through its neighbors. Now I am trying to get it out and I'll re-establish it where it can spread to its heart content. I have done a little sprinkling when it is hot and dry, but one summer I was unable to do this, and the plants survived.

If it's shady, or at least shaded in the afternoon, Geranium macrorrhizum. If it's mostly sunny, G. 'Biokovo' or 'Karmina'.