A very nice combination is daylilies, which can be planted now, and daffodils, which you would plant in-between them in the fall. The daylilies are tough, don't need a lot of maintenance, and provide a splash of cheerful color, and the foliage looks good all summer long. They will spread somewhat and shade out weeds, although you should mulch them at first and provide supplemental water if needed.
The daffodils will emerge and bloom first in the spring. You need to let their foliage ripen and turn brown in order to insure blossoms the next year, but the neat thing is that the daylily foliage, which is similar in form and color, will come in at just the right time and help conceal the browning daffodils.
Irises are wonderful flowers, and tall bearded irises are the most wonderful of all, but growing them can be problematic. They are prone to borers, which are tough to treat, the foliage looks ratty most of the summer, and every few years they need to be dug and divided. I still have a bed of them, because I love them despite their shortcomings, but you should know what you're getting into. A better choice for the less dedicated gardener is Siberian irises--the flowers are not as stupendous, but still quite beautiful, and the foliage and habit is a lot easier to live with. You could have clumps of them in with your daylilies and daffodils.
Tulips (also fall planted) are lovely, but are not as reliably perennial as daffodils. (Some kinds, like the Darwin hybrids, are billed as more perennial, but a lot depends your climate, your soil, and the whims of the gods.) I plant them anyhow, am pleased if they return, and if they don't, I figure they were still cheaper than cut flowers at the florist.
Cheers, Sue