Perennials to extend the season of winter border

[Wildwood6]

I've got a section of my garden that's got lots of plants which are great in winter/late spring; there's sarcococca and winter Daphne which are looking so lovely at the moment. The problem is come March/April not much is going on until winter comes around again. I was thinking of growing some perennials in front of them which would die down in the winter, but then put on a show when the winter flowering plants aren't doing much, would any wise MNers have some clever suggestions as to what to plant? It's a corner bed, facing east and south and gets a decent amount of sun. There's roses, salvias and peonies nearby; so it would be lovely to grow something to complement them during the warmer months. I'm fighting an ongoing battle with slugs and snails so something that isn't appealing to them would be a definite bonus! TIA!

Peonies would work but then I never think you can have too many peonies! And it would link it nicely with the other border. Maybe some irises and Japanese anemones?

Geranium Rozanne - ubiquitous but it flowers non stop unlike a lot of other hardy geraniums
Erigeron karvinskianus also flowers non stop for months and would be lovely for edging
For mid to late summer flowering, salvias, agastache, repeat flowering roses, Japanese anemones, erysimum Bowles Mauve

I'm a bearded iris fanatic but like peonies they are spectacular but don't flower for that long!

Thank you both so much, lots of lovely ideas here!

Yes, all of these

I also thought of hardy geraniums as they really do die back completely. Mavis Simpson is another long flowering one depending on your colour palette.

Erysimum Bowles Mauve doesn't die back completely. Mine is currently a twiggy mess. Though it is it's first winter so I'm not sure if it should look like that or if it's dead. It's also possible I'm supposed to cut it right back but I can't find anything that says that I should.

Either way, if it looks the way it is supposed to right now then I wouldn't recommend it as it would detract from your winter plants at exactly the worst time. (For context I'm in NE Scotland).

Campanulas also die back completely and you get lots of different kinds and colours, from low ground cover to taller than me.

Scabious (I like kudos pink), lupins, phlox paniculata, alstromeria all die right back.

I presume you've thought of bulbs?

I have exactly the opposite problem and need to start adding winter interest to my borders. I would love to see a picture of your winter Daphne.

Why don’t you plant a lot of tulips and forget me not? They go well together and fill that time gap.

I love peonies myself and intend to plant more.

@Muststopeating you’ve reminded me of how much I love Scabious! I didn’t realise they died back completely, which would be perfect for this spot. From memory they’re fairly slug resistant and chalky soil tolerant as well, which is a definite bonus!
The Daphne is an absolute joy! I have to caveat this by saying it’s very slow growing and it takes a lot of coaxing and feeding to cope with my chalky soil, but definitely worth the effort. And the smell! It’s lovely to cut and bring into the house. I’ve attached a picture for you as requested, which I took this morning.

@Darklingthrush123 There is actually a bit of forget me not wandering through a nearby border- that’s a good shout, maybe I should get a bit more! I gave up on tulips because of marauding squirrels! I was in a running battle with chicken wire and chilli powder to try keep them out but it was starting to feel like an awful lot of hard work!!

The Daphne is lovely, thank you so much for sharing a picture. I much prefer to see a real life example of a mature plant I'm considering.

Now I'm going to caveat the scabious slightly as I've just been out to have a peak at mine. It actually hasn't died down completely. Rather it has maintained a small mound of green.

The old stems would also need to be cut back to tidy it up.

In contrast my geraniums and some of my campanulas are gone gone (for now).