Drummond's Pink is a creeping phlox, the plant behind those sheets of early-spring color spilling down banks and over retaining walls all around Birmingham. Needle-fine foliage stays in a low mat a few inches tall, then disappears under clear pink blooms for weeks in early spring.

Plant it in full sun with sharp drainage: slopes, wall tops, rock gardens, and bed edges all suit it. It tolerates drought, dry rocky soil, and salt, and deer leave it alone. Shear lightly after bloom to keep the mat dense.