I have rosa rugosa along part of the road frontage of my property. They tolerate any road salt that happens to run onto them and they produce delicious hips. I've begun a brushy hazelnut border along the back side of the upper yard; I'll continue with service berries. Red and green romaine lettuce are pretty low foliage plants for partially shaded spots around the house or in the dappled sunlight. Four varieties of raspberries border another edge. In the lower yard, pawpaws and persimmons are catching on with white and black currents interspersed. Kale has beautiful ruffled foliage and can be placed in a cool spot for the summer. Low-growing varieties of thyme are great in between stepping stones in a rock garden - they smell wonderful as you walk over them and the fragrance diffuses into the air. Other herbs work as well. Chive blossoms are beautiful purple and edible. Edible flowers: petunia, most herb flowers, nasturtiums, pansy, daylilies (new daylily shoots make a tasty, mild addition to salads), and many more. Blueberries have lovely red foliage in the fall - I have a couple as foundation plantings with native acid-loving plants like rhododendron and and juniper. Walnuts are planted away from everything; I hope to put in hybrid Asian/American chestnuts soon. (I gather from the neighbor's small and rare stand of native chestnuts - my favorite time of year!) Northern hardy kiwis with pink, green and white foliage will be climbing around a walkway trellis. A grape arbor makes a nice backdrop for a garden bench. We have an elderberry patch growing wild down below.