have you thought of Fragrant Tea Olive (Osmanthus fragrans)

First off, are you allowed to plant stuff if it's a rental?

I'd highly recommend planning on attending the plant swap we have in this area in april. You can get a bunch of stuff at that for free and meet many gardeners. We have a great time at them.

One place i'd consider for buying things is broadwell's- do a search on this forum and you should find plenty of info on them. They have cheap stuff, but you do need to have some idea of what you're wanting, and you'll need to take a truck or a trailer to haul stuff back. Not so many natives. For that, i would consider the swaps. Or niche gardens in chapel hill. There are some really good plant vendors each year at the state farmer's market, too. You may want to consider building a temporary trellis and growing some annual vines on it for fast shade til any shrubs/trees have a chance to get bigger. There have been posts about that and recommended plants as well if you search.

I love my Fragrant Tea Olive, and second evilscott's suggestion!! You might also try salvia greggi. It is a shrubby perennial with bright pink or red flowers spring through fall. Butterflies and hummingbirds love them, and they are deer resistant too!