Coral bells grown for the leaves first: Carnival Watermelon carries rounded, ruffled foliage that stays colored through the season, with modest flower spikes that are not the reason you buy it as a bonus. Plants form a compact clump, suited to edging and the front of a shaded border.

Give it part shade here, since our afternoon sun scorches the brighter leaf colors. Drainage is the whole game in Birmingham clay, and crown rot in wet ground kills more coral bells than cold does. Set the crown at soil level, never buried, and plant it where water runs off rather than pools.