That has to be tough... but hey, there's always a way for gardeners to make their marks!

Perennial geraniums are my favorite for long bloom, but that's another low, mounding/sprawling plant and you have several of that shape on your list already. How about some asiatic lilies? They're a "small footprint" plant and give you a vertical accent that your list is missing.

I had a border of Geranium Biokovo in my former yard. It was lovely, but a bit sensitive to summer droughts. I haven't tried other geranium varieties. Asiatic lilies would be new for me. I'll take a look. Thank you, deeje!

I'm not good at design/planning at all, but I would perhaps suggest some bulbs for spring interest, and it seems like you need some later-blooming stuff also, no?

One thing I wanted to mention by way of encouragement. I grew up in an inner-city, brick rowhouse, with a tiny yard. My mom's garden, nonetheless, always looked full and lush and beautiful. When I started gardening, on almost an acre, I could not figure out why I wasn't getting that full look - and then it dawned on me that size and scale make a big difference. Her twelve irises or daffodils or whatever made a big impact in that tiny space; I needed 50 to make the same impact.

So good luck with the garden, and I hope you find that your little patch of earth gives you as much pleasure in the long run as your old garden did.

:)
Dee

Geranium 'Rozeanne' blooms from late spring until frost. It's a weaver and would look great weaving among the Calamintha and lavender. I'd replace the Scabiosa with Rozeanne.

I think a peony or two would sit well as the foliage after bloom is good until late in the year. An early, mid and late blooming daylily would keep things going.

Janet

I understand exactly what you're saying. Your old house was a lot of work, yet it's a gap you need to fill. I designed a seasonal garden for my elderly mother with long blooming perennials a few years ago that requires minimal maintenance and she loves it. She prefers short flowers, but I added some taller ones to add depth. For vertical interest, add an oblesik and plant a vine or even use a small tree rose.

Here's some of what I came up with that have long bloom times:

SPRING: columbine, forget-me-nots (can be invasive but easily pulled up), early spring bulbs, Saxatile Compactum - Basket of Gold (perennial alyssum - fantastic bright yellow flowers when not much else is up), candytuft.

LATE SPRING/SUMMER: agastache, dwarf grasses, artemesia, lavendar, miniature roses, coreposis Moonbeam or Zagreb (Zagreb is more aggressive), Rozanne geranium, dwarf black-eyed susans, purple coneflower, oriental lilies, phlox, salvia, campanula persicifolia (tall and dwarf bellflowers), lobelia, lupine, lychnis coronaria (rose campion), hosta (some do OK in sun), sedum and dwarf daylilies.

LATE SUMMER/FALL: Asters, Marguerite daisy (anthemis tinctoria Golden Marguerite), and I added some Japanese anemone (white Honorine Jorbert) and another pink variety which are fantastic for long fall color. Many of the summer bloomers I used, if cut back after blooming, can last into fall. Because they are more foliage plants, the artemesia, hosta and grasses will last into fall.

As for the wildlife, don't despair. Add a few small birdfeeders, a shallow bird bath, bird houses and a hummingbird feeder (as far away from the other feeder as you can) and you'll have more birds than you can imagine. Birds are my passion also. You'll have fun watching them all year and that might help you feel more at home. Good luck and happy gardening!

Wow. Thanks everyone! These are great ideas. There's something to be said for not planting what I had before, and there are many good suggestions here, including things I might have tried had I stayed on and renovated my old gardens into lower maintenance gardens.
Nancyd, I think you had offered some insights to me last summer when I was mulling over the decision to sell. The decision was difficult, mostly because selling meant leaving behind such a wonderful yard. In fact, I burst into tears when I walked through my gardens an hour before closing! But now I have a new challenge and more time to study landscape design and putter in my mother's yard. Also, the condo development borders on two farms and a large creek; so there must be some wildlife lurking out there just waiting for me to tempt them.

I hope they allow you to use lots of potted plants. Even in apartments and homes with postage stamp sized yards you see potted annuals and perennials on steps, decks, porches, window boxes, and hanging from tree branches. I agree with nancy about the bird feeders. You'll have lots of activity both birds and squirrels in your garden. Good luck!

Bean Counter beat me to it. Some pots can hold a large variety of annuals to add color, steady blooming over all season. They do need more water, but really can help the garden area. A couple pots at a corner, will define a sitting area or fill in under your bird feeder. I hang plants from my bird feeder stakes in summer, gives more height for trailing plants, some motion in a breeze.

I get the light plastic pots, or fiberglass that looks like terra-cotta, so MUCH easier to move with dirt in them. Matching sets, makes stacking easier too. Adds consistancy to layout. Pricy but do seem quite tough, none have broken. The very biggest pots here are half full of styrofoam pieces or peanuts, to reduce dirt needed to fill. Allows excellent drainage too, no rotten plant roots. Do add fertilizer over the summer season for good plant looks.
Come winter you dump them all out, stack in storage. I throw the pot dirt over the lawn, so it fills holes, blends back into the ground. Maybe mulch around plants in your little garden area, to lighten the soil, help get better organic material into it.

I would second the Lily bulb planting. Getting both Asiatic and Orientals, the bloom time is very spread out over summer. They can be tall behind other fluffy plants then disappear if you cut off the heads after bloom time. I don't let mine set seed pods. Energy into bulb growth for better flowers. The newer Orienpet lilies are getting more common, but can be quite tall, take a couple years to fully mature for huge flower bloom and full height. I planted some in fall of 2005, were about 3ft last summer with 2-3 flowers. They are advertised as 5ft with 20+ large flowers at maturity. Big color selection in lily bulbs. I like the reward flowers, for such a small area needed in the dirt. Love the smell of Lilies too, the whole garden is scented.

With your list of plants, maybe divide it by height, bloom time, color. You want to be sure to spread bloom out all season, not have clashing colors. A good list is really helpful at pinpointing holes in your plan.

I like the bright colors of my Sping tulips, but the soft colors of Spring plants can get lost if planted near them. Daffodils are fairly rabbit proof, come in many shape, last a long time blooming with different variety choices. Rabbits like Tulips.

Nancy G gave some nice choices for each season. Hope you have enough room to play with all these ideas!

One design note - even though the space is small don't be afraid to use a few bigger plants. Lots of little plants actually make the space seem busy and small. A few larger plants give you eyes someplace to rest. Maybe something airy like 'Skyracer' Molinia or Cephalaria.

Ted

More good ideas! Thank you!

I noticed that some of the other residents have covered their front porches with pots of plants; so that shouldn't be an issue. I did buy some large co-ordinating containers, even though I have always had a bias against potted plants, mostly because of the need to water more frequently. Anyone familiar with the watering systems some gardening catalogs offer?

Some of the landscaping around my screened porch (I have two porches) has to be re-done this spring because surplus bushes were stuck there at the last minute to fill in. I'm going to ask the manager if they could just leave the bed empty and let me develop it. My unit is at the far end of the complex; so no one else actually has to look at what I plant.