sparser at the bottom, so plant lowergrowing perennials such as daylilies or yarrow at their base. Red hot poker (Kniphofia) has many qualities that commend it besides its blazing flower spikes - it is evergreen, can tolerate even clay soil, and attracts butterflies and hummingbirds. Tender bulbs such as cannas can dazzle with fiery flowers and bright, lush foliage. Although they can survive mild winters in parts of Virginia and often do, think of cannas as annuals that may need to be replaced so you are happy if they reward you with another season of bloom, or dig the bulbs to store over the winter. One annual that almost always comes back from its own dropped seeds is cleome, also known as spider flower. It attains good height and substance in one season while displaying wonderful texture and botanical complexity. Surrounding your pleasure-dome with the ample and the unusual brews a taste of paradise. Birds of paradise (below) tickle the imagination. Cannas' bright blooms (right) and colorful, lush foliage lend a tropical look to the landscape. Handsome bronze maple-leaf foliage adds to the luxuriant look of dinnerplate-sized blooms of hardy hibiscus Kopper King (left). Pots of bright hibiscus (right) and clumps of exuberant perennials such as Stella d'Oro daylilies and shasta daisies enhance the pool setting. Rangy cleome sends out seedpods that resemble spider legs that self-seed reliably. August 2014/www.co-opliving.com The delicate mimosa's lacy leaves allow a bit of light so that grass and plants beneath them get dappled shade while tiny, unusual broom-like flowers cover it in pink. 25 PAULA STEERS BROWN PHOTOS