How about Catharanthus roseus (Vinca)? Mine have been in the same spot for years, reseading and filling in one area nicely. They can get 2 feet tall but mine don't, they seem to stay about 5-13 inches They grow in a range of colors somehow from one plant I planted years ago; pink, white with red center, lavender. Very pretty.

Here is a link that might be useful: Catharanthus

Try Carolina Petunia, small, hardy and somewhat like the Mexican bloom but far from invasive.

On Blue Daze, I've had problems with them. Mine never last past the 2nd year...they get scraggly and ugly, even when cut back. And they freeze right to the ground, dead as doornails, too. So that might be something to consider in your zone.

Good luck finding what you like!

Marcia

A low-growing purple lantana. The ones out in the open freeze back but come out again quickly. The hanging baskets under the eaves do not freeze. Verbena and vinca are also good choices though some verbenas are more "summer-hardy" than others. I like the Homestead but haven't seen any since I moved.

How about the yellow bush daisy (Euryops)? Blooms almost all year long, stays in one place, doesn't get too tall. I love this plant and it's readily available at any of the big box stores for a reasonable price. Even after the cold weather, mine are green and blooming right now! They were not covered during the freezes.

Kate

Thanks for some good suggestions already!

I do like the purple verbena or lantana suggestion. I'm glad to hear it as a suggestion. Right now they are near the top of my short list. I think the verbena I have now is commonly called Florida verbena. It does reseed, but certainly cannot be called invasive.

I really like the Carolina Petunia. It is a Ruellia, as is the Dwarf Mexican Petunia. The USDA plants profile lists it as a Florida native, a good thing if true. I'll have to look into that part. It is definitely on my short list.

The Vinca I grew in the past reseeded everywhere. I suppose it wouldn't be called invasive because it didn't crowd out other plants, but it came up in every bed at our house and neighbors on both sides. It may not have been the var. Catharanthus roseus, but another more aggresive form.

I do have an area that will contain annuals. I may have to put the Blue Daze in there. Overall it's been a good plant for me, coming back for several years. I don't have any right now, but I suspect the recent freezes would have completely killed it.

The yellow bush daisy gets too large and I really want something in the purple, pink range for this area.

Thanks! Keep the suggestions coming. I enjoy researching your suggestions and hope to find the "perfect" one.

Julie - Think about permanent color. Flowers are transient. There are hundreds of Bromeliads available that will cover the list of colors you mentioned. The Neoregelias bloom in the cup, so there's no maintenance. Neo "Martin" in full sun gets the most beautiful pink/orange/red color you can imagine; puts any flower to shame. Neo "Fireball" in half shade will be bright red. Start a colony of "Blue Tango" and you'll get purple flower spikes that will stop traffic.

Also, if you are looking for something with a nice purple color you should consider Purple queen (Tradescantia pallida). It grows well in sun or shade, has purple leaves with pink flowers, stays fairly low to the ground, doesn't seed, is drought tolerant, and very easy to propagate. You could mix some pink flowered rain lilies in with the purple queen for some variation. The pink rain lilies that I have bloom most of the year and form nice healthy clumps.
Here's a picture of some of my pink rain lilies.

Another plant to consider are scrub mints like Conradina grandiflora which are evergreen, bloom year round, and have a wonderful fragrance.

If pink "pink" is acceptable, then the following might work for you.

In the foreground below is ornamental purslane, easily found at the big box stores when the weather warms. Right now, after our cold weather, mine look like dead strings. In years past, those "strings" return to bloom beautifully. It's also an easy plant to propagate - break off a stem, stick it in the soil, and very soon you have a new plant.

Two other suggestions are pictured below:

In the foreground is portulaca, a.k.a moss rose. Like purslane, it's easy to propagate - stick a stem in the soil and you soon have a new plant. It's also easily found at the big box stores.

Centered in the picture is a low growing vinca: Nirvana Cascade Pink Splash. Again, I found it at one of the big box stores. It's a lower growing variety of vinca so you wouldn't have to prune it to keep it within your 12" height requirement. This is a young plant - it does get wider than this. It also self-seeds in place, an attribute for which I am grateful as it's allowed me to have the plant growing in several spots in the garden. All the plants I currently have are from the original plant pictured here. The Nirvana series - and sometimes this particular one - rated among the best at the University of Georgia Plant Trials in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. It's got my vote too.

June

I was very pleased to see my blue eyed grass seemed to like the cold weather. It's small, half a foot or so. It looks like grass most of the year. It blooms in the spring. It's a native and doesn't seem to mind the sand. I water it only in extreme droughts. I'm going to be using much more of it in my garden.

In my experience the Carolina petunia reseeds like crazy and they're also difficult to control because of their deep root systems.

Kara, your pink rain lilies look gorgeous!

Bill

I love those rain lilies! They are so dainty and delicate looking. But I've never seen them in the stores, I have seen them in the wild.
The Conradina grandiflora is also an interesting plant. It's also an endangered species. Another one I've never seen in the stores, perhaps they could be found at a native plant nursery?
I think the moss rose and purslane in your photos are a little too pink. :) I don't recall seeing a lighter pink version, but it's possible. I think that could work in another area.
The low growing vinca looks good as well. I haven't looked that closely at the vincas recently. The only ones I have experience with are much taller and spread all over the neighborhood. I'll look for these this spring.
Lots more things to look for and check out. Thanks for all the suggestions. If anyone has any more ideas I'm still listening.

Juneroses, your ornamental purslane and portulaca are beautiful! Do you think they will do ok in zone 10 or will they burn up in the summer?

Sharbear: The zone information I've found on ornamental purslane (portulaca umbraticola) as well as portulaca (portulaca grandiflora) says both are hardy to Zone 11. They're succulents and thrive in well draining soil in hot conditions. They come in colors ranging from white to red, including colors between.

The plant I named as portulaca in my original post is commonly referred to as "moss rose". - June

Here is a link that might be useful: Portulaca

Usually in the spring most of the big box stores will sell rain lily bulbs. I'm not sure if they include the variety in my picture though. The variety in the picture is not native although it is very tough and drought tolerant. If your interested I could send you a few bulbs.

You can find different varieties of Conradina at native plant nurseries and sometimes at private nurseries. My original scrub mint I bought at a native plant sale up in Gainesville about 5 years ago but it unexpectedly died this past year. I was able to find a different variety of Conradina at a road side plant sale just a few months ago though so you never know where you will find an unusual plant.