Hello and welcome-
Your garden ideas sound lovely! And how sweet of you to provide a wonderful restfull place for your Mom to enjoy without the upkeep that could easily take the pleasure away if she cannot do the work herself.
I don't know much about roses- except how to kill em- and scrape myself up when pruning- Nor do I know much about evergreens but I think you are close to the mark with them with so many shapes and colors and sizes to choose from- Most grasses and daylilies spread- but the little daylilies seem to spread less, and Siberian Iris look kinda like grass and spread less- Phlox, mums, some sun hardy hostas, heucheras, dianthus, geraniums and lilies all come to mind- How about a Henry Lauders Walking stick- or some red twig dogwood for winter interest? Daffodils and muscari for spring- as the bunnies won't eat them- Dwarf Korean lilacs-
I hope some of these suggestions help- and I am sure there will be many more well informed suggestions to follow-
What a special garden this will be for her! Such a great idea!
Best ofluck to you-
Julie

Knowing what zone she is in will be important. The southern tier or two of counties is 4, but most is 3. http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/hzm-nm1.html

Don't try to zone stretch if you're looking for easy care bed. Get stuff that doesn't care or even prefers NOT to be mulched. The second thing is to really understand what is already there and which of those are easy care. I would consider easy care to be 1)It doesn't spread quickly 2)It doesn't need frequent dividing 3) Doesn't need to be cut back to look best 4) Right plant for location (if it's dry do not get plants that prefer constantly moist location.

Is she an avid gardener? You may consider asking her which one or two are her favorites and making sure to leave those.

The viburnum blue muffin is one of the smaller variety to look at but I wouldn't say with a bed that size that you need to limit yourself to small. Consider Ninebark, Dogwood, dwarf conifers, lilac, spirea, Artemisia Silver mound, mmmm - if I think of more, I'll come back

How do I create a low maintenance winter garden in colder zones? http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/winter/2003085332030186.html

Good suggestions from Julie.

You didn't say where in ND your mother lived. Zone 3, I assume? My comments are based on the assumption your mom is in Zone 3.

About roses. 'Harrison's Yellow' is one of the few yellow roses that would be hardy. It is not a recurrent bloomer and is subject to Black Spot? Might want to consider 'Theresa Bugnet' or one of the hardy Explorer roses. Under any circumstances, in some (many) winters the roses may experience considerable dieback and require a fair amount of pruning in the spring. Also, because they are heavy feeders, roses would not fall into the low maintenence category. If you do plant roses, plant the bud union deep....at least 4 inches below the soil surface. Vastly improves survival and performance.

Lilies would be great. Stick with the Asiatics. Oriental lilies are marginal performers in the northern part of Zone 3.

In the shrub category, consider Hydrangea absorescens 'Annabelle'. Long blooming and keeps blooming way past the first frosts. Very hardy.

In the perennial category, I would add Heliopsis, preferably 'Venus'. Persicaria Polymorpha for a big bumpkin of a plant. Lychnis chalcedonica (maltese cross) for a touch of red. Veronicas, Monardas and Nepetas are other great plants for the cold zones.
In the variegated category, Heliopsis 'Lorraine Sunshine' and Lysmachia 'Alexander'.

What about rainfall in their area? If it is one of the normally low rainfall areas in ND, that needs to be taken into consideration.
Jan

Morden 'Sunrise' is another yellow rose you could try. Some daylilies and most true lilies would do fine, and peonies in the right spot also should thrive. (Iris, as well.) Many attractive dwarf conifers are available. Shelter from drying winds will be important.

Lilacs, potentilla (yellow flowers), daylillies, and rugosa roses will all thrive in that area, i would think, even with dry conditionss. Asiatic lilies, lupines (probably), and daffodils all would be nice and would naturalize an area well. Here in zone 4, you see a lot of Russian sage, echinacea, rudbeckia, spiraeas and blue bedder salvia in maintenance-free plantings, as well as grasses such as Karl Foerster and pennisetum. At least some of those should be ok in z3, but i don't know specifically which would survive well.

Thanks so much--you guys are great and have raised some
things I wasn't thinking about--the wind, for example, is an issue. As best as I can tell my Mom lives near the borders between the 3 and 4 hardiness zones. I will heed the advice on zonal stretching. Thanks again.