Phlox are tough and durable and they like full sun. A long-life perennial a good cut flower plant that has a nice fragrance. It is becoming a popular cut flower plant for weddings and things like that. Just a good stand-by perennial full sun location for this one with lots of good air circulation with this one because we have a little problem with powdering mildew showing up on the phlox. if they are in a shady dark location there are some problems with that disease. If your garden is in a sunny area a good choice would be daylilies.
Daylilies are colorful and they are a low maintenance plant.
They also are resistant to many diseases. Some breeders of daylilies are now trying to develop breeds that will allow blooming all summer. One of the things they are working on is to have a day lily that will continue to bloom off and on throughout the season. One type of perennial native to our state that people don't think of using in their gardens are, grasses. There are a variety of ornamental grasses and they work well as an edging plant to border gardens.