Sounds like you have a historic house...I love thryallis (yellow blooms) and (blue) plumbago. They both are pretty tough & drought tolerant, bloom all year, and survive temporary frosts. Others I like are Crossandra for shady areas, and pagoda flower for sunny moist sites. I would definitely plant anything past your drip line to avoid any problems. Good luck!

Funny you should say that about the plumbago and thryallis as I have thryallis in the front yard and plumbago in the back yard. Love them both, but the only thing is I feel like I'm trimming them on a monthly basis to keep them under control, especially the plumbago.

Something easily removed or uncommon in case you have to get tented for termites. I just went through it and boy, was it a pain. Is this full sun & do you have siding (I ask because vinyl will cook most plants)

Yes, it is full sun for most of the day until the sun gets up over the house. I do have siding, but it's wood based.

If it doesn't have to have foliage all year maybe some plumeria or tapioca. You can start new ones easily from cuttings so if they get nipped one year, you can have reserve for replacements.

A few more: Firebush, jatropha/ peregrina, yesterday-today-tomorrow, or phillipine violet (i think it's invasive, but so pretty!).

Foundation plantings certainly add color and soften the view of the house, but they come with a myriad of problems that you should consider before even selecting a plant.

First, you mention that there are no gutters, so all the rain runoff is going to hit the area quite hard. With that thought in mind, you should consider filling the area with large river rock to at least a foot beyond the drip line and planting in front of it. This will accomplish several goals. You don't have to worry about rain damage, you will have easy access to the crawl space, and you won't have to worry about beating up the plants when you paint or power-wash.

Second, the soil in the immediate proximity of your foundation is going to be much more alkaline than the rest of your property. In choosing a plant that looks great twenty feet from a building, yours, when planted that close, is never going to look as good. Many of the flowering plants suggested above will flower less or not at all as a foundation planting. Sure you can fertilize the daylights out of them, but then, with all your rain pouring down, all that food is going to wash away.

For obvious reasons, I no longer recommend specific plants on this forum, but to be general about it, I would recommend leafy plants that can take the alkaline soil, not mind getting soaked on a regular basis, and can be trimmed hard to maintain your required height. Take a drive around your neighborhood and check out what's been growing for several years under your conditions; that's the a step in the right direction.