ronda, the problem with those calculators is that it requires that the flowers all be the same kind, or at the very least, they same type. but a bed of just tulips will be very boring in august.

what i would do is draw a scale on graph paper,

say 6 blocks by 14 blocks with each block being half a foot, and then place color coded dots for each of the kinds of flowers you want in the bed. does that make sense? then you can see what you can plant over the top of, near, or around different plants.

it'll be much easier to answer your question if you tell us what it is that you want in your garden.

Hi Ronda carnations are bienniel which means they only live for 2 years. The first year they are all foliage and the second year they bloom and reseed so you would need to direct sow two years running in order to get a good clump going that would continue through the years. I found transplanting them to be really difficult. Of the package of seeds I planted last year I have one plant that survived. So I'm not very happy with them. I'm zone 7 and have a heavy clay content in my garden area. Amending the soil I'm sure would have improved my result.

Daylilies are great but do have a short bloom time so you would probably need to get a variety in order to have something blooming at all times.

I think primroses are going to require more shade than your spot has to offer.

Here are some suggestions for along a side walk. First of all I would keep the flowers relatively short so they don't interfer with anyone using the path.

Ophiopogon p. 'Nigrescens' (Mondo Grass, Black)

This has a max height of 6 inches and has a nice contrast between the dark foliage and the pink flowers You could put these right near the walkway and then plant slightly taller flowers that bloom at different times of the year behind it. For example the next row might be one of these.

Agapanthus 'Africanus' (Lily-of-the-Nile) or
Agapanthus 'Snow Pixie' (Lily-of-the-Nile)

These are both shorter types of Lily of the nile the first is a lovely blue and the second a white depending on the colors you want you could use one or the other or even both in the next row since they get between 12 and 24 inches in height.

behind that if you have the room you may want to try for some of the ornamental onions. I just love these but you may like something with more of a bushy shape and there are certainly a number of options in that area too. I have some of the burgandy colored barberry in one of my containers that is really a nice plant and the thorns can keep people on the path if that is a problem. It also comes in a light green that is nice.

Or I've had really good luck with the miniature roses as long as I plant them outside as soon as I get them.

Now about spacing lol. When you research a plant you can find the plant spacing requirements for that plant. Then for me it's just a matter of starting at one end and measuring from the center of one plant to the center of the next. Knowing that as they slower growing plants get larger I can always move them. Which I will definitely be doing next year with my roses. I have four of them that are red and right now I have them together to form one clump. But next year I hope to have added enough other colors to my collection that I'll be separating them out to make a multicolored row of miniature roses. They are great flowers.

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crocus, grape hyacinth and daffodils - are early bloomers.

tulips - some early bloomers as well as mid-spring bloomers

bearded iris do terrific in full sun - and they multiply nicely so you only need a few to start off with. there are multiple varieties with different bloom times. has nice foilage that is there before and after blooming.

the daylily also has nice foilage before and after blooming. there are also differnt bloom times depending on variety.

tigerlily is another nice bloomer - not so great on the foilage tho.
rose bushes do well. some peony need full sun.

lilac - it's a spreader so it would be good for a corner somewhere. butterfly bush - can get big but is easy enough to prune to keep it to managable size.

coneflower and daisy are good - lots of nice foilage. coneflower blooms mid summer. not sure about the shasta as i just planted them

there are some geranium that are perennial.

what zone are you in?

lilac is another good plant for sun. and so is yucca.

iris, coneflower and lilac don't care if they're neglected or treated badly...

so, if you plant them, it won't matter a bit if you have a black thumb AND you won't need to plant plastic stuff!