I have had really good luck with Lantana in the hot afternoon sun. Comes in several colors and blooms profusely all summer long. Has been tolerant of dry soil as well as my ammended clay.

Linda

Zinnas do well in my yard. Profusion comes in a variety of colors, 12" - 15" and can be purchased at garden centers. The one I love is Magellan it's 12" to 14", blooms are 4 to 5 inches across - really stunning but have to grow from seed as far as I know. Haven't seem them in any garden centers. Parks and Redbud Farms have the seeds.

Tania

If you want yellow or orange this year, marigolds would probably do well.

One single type of plant???

Really!!??!!

Oh- how I admire your restraint!

I have always admired an image that has stayed with me in my minds eye of a curvy side walk bordered by moss roses of all colors! So very bright and lush and thick! Like a rainbow alive and thriving here on earth.

Maybe that is what you are looking for...

Julie

I discovered Limonium Sinuatum (Statice) last year. Loved the tidy ground hugging foliage and the bracts of pastel blooms - lavender, blue, rose, pink, yellow, and white. I used them to fill a gap in a sunny, dry border, and once they came into flower, wished I'd planted clusters of them in other available spaces. Good compliment to Veronica's and Nepeta's.