Flowers: A question for the panel

I struggle to organise the flower spaces in the garden. The spring is beautiful with bulbs but as the season progresses it loses a lot of its colour. I could, if I was inclined, research, buy and plant things from the garden centre but I'm tight and  time is always short when these things should be done,  as the veg patch takes all my concentration. 

As an experiment,  In an ideal world, if you had say a 2m² bed,  what flowering/colourful plants would you plant to give some colour for the main seasons, I'll let you off winter, if that makes it easier.  I think SC will be a dab hand at this one.

I'd fill it with repeat flowering perennials, not bedding plants. Not sure what as I'm not really a flower grower.

I'd fill it with repeat flowering perennials, not bedding plants. Not sure what as I'm not really a flower grower.

I was thinking perennials, the plant and forget type. Neither am I a flower person, that's my problem.  Is it a case you're either one or the other?

Lupins, pansy/ violas, sweet William. Lots of lovely colours to choose from. And long flowering especially if dead headed. But that could be said about most things. Aquilegia again lot of colours and seed head give texture to the flower bed once flowering has finished. Scabious, if you get several different varieties that’ll make for a long flowering season. All the above except aquilegia can be grown from seed very easily, aquilegia can be a bit tricky. Then you can add a couple of show stoppers lilies and peonies. Not the longest flowering season but spectacular when they are out. Then repeat flowering roses. Depending on variety can flower from spring to late autumn. Then there’s a multitude of flowering shrubs. Camelia, hebe, escallonia, winter flowering jasmine (mine is confused, it’s flowering now), hydrangeas.
Then you’ve got your summer flowering bulbs, alliums. Again lots of varieties to make a reasonable long lasting show, gladioli. If you’ve any space left. You can throw some annual flower seeds in gaps.

I almost forgot all the different varieties of rudbeckia and echinacea. Also easy from seed and lots of stuttering colours.
That should do you for a start.