1. The number one cause of death of plants in the garden is overwatering. When you check the "watering system", check the automated controller to see how often it's coming on. 2. I don't think annual flowers are for the "black thumb". They require more care than a black thumb is capable of. Stick with long-blooming perennials and/or many perennial varieties that will give them changing seasons of color. 3. Put in several species. Some may die but some will live (we can only hope) and after time you will know which species tolerate their specific conditions, so they can be duplicated. 4. Ordinarily, I suggest going with the smallest plants available; they adapt the best. But in this case, put in large plants; they're less likely to be killed in the short run. And buy healthy nursery plants. Share your cuttings with green thumbers. 5. "jewel-like" sounds a little whimpy for "black thumbers". Are you willing to put in more substantial plants? 6. Don't amend the soil. Current research shows that perennial plants do best in native soil. Yeah, even the crappy soils of Southern California. Amending often leads to watering issues. 7. Help them get rid of the weeds before planting. Be pre-emptive. 8. Once the plants are established, water deeply and infrequently. 9. Here's some smaller tough-as-nails perennials (and some bulbs for planting this fall) for lots of color: (by the way, you don't say whether the site is sun or shade; I'm assuming full sun) Perennials -- Aeonium AEONIUM Agapanthus (dwarf cultivars) LILY-OF-THE-NILE Calandrinia grandiflora ROCK PURSLANE Centaurea gymnocarpa DUSTY MILLER Centranthus ruber JUPITERÂS BEARD Convolvulus sabatius GROUND MORNING GLORY Cotyledon orbiculata PIGÂS-EARS Dianella caerulea NEW ZEALAND FLAX LILY Dudleya LIVE-FOREVER Echeveria HENS-AND-CHICKS Eriogonum umbellatum SULPHUR FLOWER Euphorbia myrsinites MYRTLE SPURGE Helianthemum nummularium SUNROSE Hemerocallis DAYLILIES Kniphofia TORCH LILY, RED HOT POKER Limonium perezii STATICE Origanum ÂBetty RollinsÂ, ÂHopleyÂs ORNAMENTAL OREGANO Penstemon heterophyllus ÂMargarita SKY BLUE PENSTEMON Sisyrinchium californicum YELLOW-EYED GRASS Bulbs -- Babiana stricta BABOON FLOWER Crocosmia hybrids MONTBRETIA Freesia FREESIA Freesia laxa LAPEYROUSIA Gladiolus debilis SMALL PAINTED LADY Gladiolus tristis MARSH AFRIKANER Homeria collina CAPE TULIP Hyacinthoides hispanica SPANISH BLUEBELL Ixia hybrids CORN LILY Leucojum vernum SPRING SNOWFLAKE Muscari armeniacum GRAPE HYACINTH Nerine bowdenii SPIDER LILY Ornithogalum arabicum STAR OF BETHLEHEM Ornithogalum thyrsoides CHINCHERINCHEE Oxalis purpurea CAPE SORRELL Sparaxis tricolor HARLEQUIN FLOWER Triteleia ÂQueen Fabiola BRODIAEA Triteleia hyacinthina WHITE HYACINTH BRODIAEA Tritonia crocata FLAME FREESIA Tulipa clusiana ÂLady Jane CANDYSTRIPE TULIP ...

I do not accept it that you have a black thumb! There is just something or other about keeping plants happy that you could learn. Ask someone who is an experienced gardener to plant the window boxes with you and I bet you will find out what the problem has been. I thought I was planting spring bulbs according to the directions, but when a friend and former Master Gardener watched what I was doing, I quickly discovered why my bulbs were rotting in the ground. Similarly, when I helped a novice but very enthusiastic gardener with her perennials, I found that she was just sprinkling them rather than watering them deeply, planting sun plants in the shade and vice versa, and trying to grow plants in the thin old dirt that had been under her grass instead of in good garden soil. So, if you want to, you can learn to garden!

Creeping phlox blooms about 3 weeks in the spring. It is an easy groundcover to grow. Some perennials that bloom for a long time that are easy to grow are daylilies, salvias, sweet rocket, Jupiter's beard, verbena bonieriensis, coreopsis, Rudbeckia, asters, lady's mantle, Euphorbias, Helianthus, sweet betony, hellebores, ornamental grasses and much more. These are all tough, hard to kill plants. You could do google searches on them to see what you like. Good luck with your project!

Hi Kristine, The high phosphorus fertilizer will definitely help with blooms. They usually indicate three numbers, and I don't know what the other two are, but the middle one is the amount of phosphorus in it, for example 10-25-10. They also have these things at Home Depot (or wherever you get your plant stuff) called Bloom Buster or Bloom Burst or something similar. The others are right, you definitely don't want to freeze your plant. The more sun the better, as far as I can see. I have a couple plants in my classroom at work and they are on the window that gets nearly all day sun. Pretty consistent temperature, but I keep the window open as much as I can. They told me this too, to be patient, but you've waited four years already. :) I've only been doing this since May! I think you only want to fertilize once the growing season starts, and water sparingly at that. Good luck with your plant...let us know how it does! --Mark