Sun? shade? what?

OOPS. Sun.

How big? How much water? Next to the house or as a hedge?

I have a huge area to fill in, an 8 ft border around the lawn on 3 sides (all except house), pretty much all of it is full sun. We're outside of Sac so something that doesn't guzzle water would be great. I'm in the drawing stages of planning, so size isn't all that important. Just interested in what flowers most of the year here.

Thanks.

The least water-using shrublets I have are Caryopteris clandonensis 'Dark Knight' and Perovskia atriplicifolia (Russian sage). Both bloom all summer and stay under 4 feet with pruning.
Two taller (to ~ 6 ft.) are Salvia microphylla 'Hot Lips' (showy bloom all summer) and Lantana. I've used Salvia greggii hybrids and Salvia 'Mystic Spires Blue' (showy dk. purple all summer - rangy growth habit here).

Coreopsis is the longest blooming perrenial I can think and requires less water than most. It flops and uses more space than I anticipated. Under 2 feet and gold color, not the 'Moonbeam' (threadleaf I think) type.

Of tall shrubs (6 ft. to 15 ft.) Oleander has long bloom time. Also Malva 'Zebrina' and Lavatera 'Barnsley'. I confess I love the spring blooming shrubs and will settle for green the rest of the year. Good luck.

Too many blooming shrubs can conflict with each other and just look messy. My mother had Lantana Confetti and it bloomed throughout the warm time of year.

Emigh Hardware is a good place to shop for low water plants.

The purple Lantana and white Lantana will hug the ground about a foot no more than 2 feet. I have seen it climb thru other shrubs. The red/orange variety will get taller.

But in Sacramento just like here when its August-September and 100+ who wants to look at red.

Rock roses are really carefree once established and very drought tolerant and no thorns...that I am aware of.

Little John Bottlebrush will bloom couple times a year but they are red. They do offer texture to the garden.

I love my purple Bush Germanders. They flower 2-3 times a year also and hummers and bees also love them. They bring a different look to the landscape with grayish foliage.

You might consider spring and summer flowering bulbs in the front of the borders. I put in 20 freesias 10 years ago and now have hundreds and have given them away.

I forgot to mention Cape Plumbago but it requires a lot of room.

Grevilleas bloom much of the year and they are very attractive looking informal shrubs. Salvia microphylla bloom a lot too. My personal favorite informal shrub is Mexican marigold Tagetes lemmonii - it blooms 10 months of the year and can be sheared into any shape. People either love or hate the fragrance (its strong).

Some of the nicest lantana cultivars are the yellows. Usually a bright lemon yellow with fresh green foliage, they are generally some of the larger types.

Not really a bush, but nepeta is what gives my yard color most months. I also second the suggestion of germander. For what it's worth, I used to think blossoms were what I liked, but have found foliage and (gasp) grasses really add interest to our space--especially when trying to conserve water.