Pasted this from a post a while back, thought it might help. It sounds like you are looking for something that won't get taller than say 4 feet and bloom nearly year long. Here are my suggestions which are easy to grow, require little maintenance if watered correctly and will take your full sun exposure. Red Bird of Paradise (Caesalpinia pulcherrima) - red/orange flowers from late spring to fall. Requires annual pruning. Baja Fairy Duster (Calliandra californica) - red 'puffball' type floers nearly all year. No pruning required. Black Dalea (Dalea frutescens) - clusters of lavendar flowers in fall. Brittlebush (Encelia farinosa) - silver gray leaves, yellow daisy flowers from winter to spring. Red Eremophila (Eremophila maculata) - one cultivar is called "Valentine" but all have red tubular flowers from late winter to spring. Violet Silverleaf (Leucophyllum candidum) this 'Texas sage' stays about 3 feet tall with silver foliage and deep violet flowers periodically from summer to fall. Baja Ruellia (Ruellia peninsularis) - this Ruellia is a shrub and NOT invasive like its cousin. It has purple bell shaped flowers nearly all year long. Lavender- Spanish and French.

They are just under 7' tall, but I have trimmed off a foot or or so. It took about 2 years from a 1 gallon container with a plant 1 foot tall to get to 7 feet. I think they grew 1' the first year and 5' the next year. Then I lightly trimmed the tips at the very top and they got dense. It is a matter of, do you want to spend $20 now but you are trimming all the time, or $100 and trim once a year. Its the same with lawn. Lawn is much cheaper to install than shrubs, which is why builders always put a big lawn and skinny planting beds. But lawn costs a lot to water and maintain over time compared to slow or moderate growing, drought tolerant shrubs. Slow shrubs may seem not good, but on the other hand, you are not out there chopping at them all the time. Fast, aggressive plants are cheap to buy, but take time and money to keep under control. You have to do what you have to do, but it is something to keep in mind for the long haul. If you move in a year or two it becomes someone else's problem. If you are there for 30 years, it is your problem. One thing you can do is get the Cape Honeysuckle to the size you want then cut way back on the watering. It will slow them down. Try to keep the lawn away from them also, as they will invade the lawn looking for water.

Larry, That was me. I didn't know it at the time but this is a short day plant - it won't set buds and flowers until days are around 12 hours - which is about September 21. So it should be a great winter bloomer - if you have the light and space. Time to get a greenhouse :-) Alternately, if you get it up and growing healthily before June 21, it should have a flush of flowers in mid June. It is not that cold sensitive, so it can go outside in early May. Which also means you don't have to worry about getting it in the house real early in the fall.

Yes, that leaf-dropping is normal right after planting. Just keep it well watered for a month, until it roots in well. I have them growing under trees and in full sun - they do well with either setting.