What is the soil like now?

Hmmmm, I'm not sure how to describe it. It seems slightly sandy due to it's fine texture and plenty of dust. I have been amending the soil whenever I plant as it is new construction and the topsoil was scraped off. It's plenty fertile for weeds, though!

Sounds like a good location for lavender, maybe a couple of lower growing evergreen grasses or dwarf New Zealand flax and perhaps even some smaller hebes. A couple of spreading sunroses (Helianthemum) can add earlier season color. Reblooming daylilies like Stella D'Oro are trite but useful and effective and can add midseason color. Groundcovers like creeping thyme, thrift or lithodora will love it. You can also add some spring flowering bulbs for earlier color, but will have to put up with their old foliage until fully dried and removable.

With only a very limited time available for maintenance (which will always be required to some degree), think evergreen, spreading and with little need to divide, stake or remove unwanted seedlings. Mulch to cover what soil is not covered by plantings, as weeds will come if soil is bare and exposed.

Thank you for the great ideas! I think I will try lavender, heather, thrift, or lithodora as they are all fairly sturdy. As for sunroses, I like them, but they remind me of the Canyon Park Fred Meyer (there are a ton in their flowerbeds), hee hee! The beds around my patio are weeded, and mulch is awaiting. I'll post a picture when it has beencompleted, hopefully by the end of this week. Thanks again for the ideas!

Moist, sandy soil for lithodora, otherwise it may turn black and die out. The other three are also apt to have problems if drainage is not excellent. If soil is droughty and coarse lavender may be fine (choose kinds with "disease resistant" on the stick tags), otherwise heather is more likely to give a lasting and pleasing effect. Thrift is a little herbaceous tuft so a situation is needed where it can be kept free of taller plants, will not look "dinky". A solid planting of a more vigorous garden hybrid type could be nice.

I've killed at least half a dozen Lithodora. The neighbors have no problems....

I think I will go with thrift, as I was planning on using it a few other places in the yard. There won't be any other plants in this bed with them, and will look nice with some mulch. Simple, sturdy, and low maintenance - I like it! Although I prefer the idea of lavender, my neighbors would probably prefer it as well (i.e. they would have no qualms about cutting some for themselves). Thanks again everyone for your ideas and advice. With a bare yard, I feel like I've been dropped off the deep end.

Okay, I finally got around to taking a picture of the completed project. It sure looks a lot better than before! Thanks again everyone!

Here is a link that might be useful: Patio Before and After