Lollipop is a knee-high version of tall verbena: clusters of small violet-purple flowers held on stiff, wiry stems, so the color floats above neighboring plants without flopping. Butterflies work it constantly from early summer through frost.

Plant it in full sun with good drainage and it needs little else, taking heat and dry spells in stride. The see-through habit means you can weave it into the front or middle of a bed. Shear lightly in midsummer if bloom slows and it comes right back.