Have you looked into the Pavement roses? Those grow well for me. The Vigorosas do very well in Kansas. It may be that a hotter climate is needed for Vigorosas to do well since both Steve and I have success with them. I would think a rose draping over a boulder would have plenty of heat available!
I have a Sweet Vigorosa that creeps and has gone 10' in each direction.
It wasn't supposed to do that, but I decided to let it stay.
Around here, I discourage anyone from planting either wisteria or honeysuckle. The exceptions there are: Major Wheeler honeysuckle, because it truly will not sucker, and Amethyst Falls wisteria. I have it in an area that is not irrigated and it behaves well there. So far, anyway.
I took on a gardening makeover job yesterday where the main concern was how to remove wisteria, trumpet vine, honeysuckle, vinca minor and Sweet Autumn clematis. The only invasive they didn't have was Virginia creeper. The wisteria vines had damaged the neighbor's fence and were wrapped around a tree so tightly that we had to remove large limbs. Our climate is harsh--so I don't know how much more damage they would do in a more temperate climate. I make more money removing vines than i do planting them, that's for sure!
There are new cultivars of honeysuckle that do not grow more than 8' tall--one I bought this year is named Sweet Tea. There's another one named Peaches and Cream that looks promising also.
My climbing Pinkie grew to 8' tall in one year. I bought it last year as a tiny 1 gallon plant from Chamblees. This year it is over the arbor! It is even more vigorous than the 4 year old Gertrude Jekyll rose that is on the other side!
My 'Snow Goose' and cl 'James Galway' look as if they would develop a weeping habit if allowed.
They have not stopped blooming since late May, and they were new this year.
The "Pink Supreme" carpet rose is a good performer here too.
Hope that helps?

Oh goodie, Cindi, More roses to explore!!! Thank you for your ideas.

You and Steve make sense with the wisteria, but...
I LOVE WISTERIA! and some of those walls are 30 ft tall. If I can figure out how the wisteria can wind around something. I was thinking clematis as well, but not sure if I can make the base shady. Will see.

This is where I pictured the wisteria

What a lovely space! It's a little hard to see how the sun interacts with it. Is the plant in question going to grow up from that region at the base of the trees? Or is it going to sweep down over the rocks from a sunny space just over the tops of them?

If it's the former, then I think what's called for is a very vigorous plant. And I wonder if any flowering vine short of a wisteria could succeed. If it's the latter, perhaps some roses could work. Cindi's good suggestion of Snow Goose reminded me of Malvern Hills. I'm having a little trouble getting it started here, but I can see from what it's doing that if it ever does grow, it will have lots of long, whiplike canes that produce small yellow flowers that fade to white in the sun. And it will be lovely.

There is something about those gray boulders, it seems to me, that cry for a deep red color. I know it is a cliche, but I cannot help but visualize Virginia Creeper or Boston Ivy turning scarlet or crimson in the fall and contrasting with the yellow foliage of the tree to the left.

Of course there's the possibility of growing a red climbing rose such as Chevy Chase, Turner's Crimson Rambler, or Blaze; but it seems to me that the flowers of these old ramblers might fade too much.

Most of the following will be shorter of stature than most ramblers. Some may have the same fading problems as the ramblers above.

I have seen Svejda's Alexander McKenzie grow to over twenty feet in height at a municipal park. It's cold hardy and the flowers are a strong enough color to look good with the granite, IMO. Also large enough would be Bloomfield Courage. It can get big enough to swallow up a small village, so it takes courage to plant it; but when it is grown well and is in high bloom there is nothing like it. Sometimes slow to develop, but often quite effective is Heidelberg with its glossy leaves, well branched habit, and flowers that are usually a solid dark red. Another Svejda introduction that might work is Henry Kelsey , though its red is a little variable.

Rose gardeners tend to swoon whenever one of the Eden roses is mentioned. Red Eden might work.

Good Luck!

Thank you Steve. Sorry I missed your note before tonight. I had been checking back regularly until the last couple of days. Full daylily bloom here as well as installations on the estate.

Lots of Va Creeper there (to the right) which I made sure was saved. Might be too invasive for what I am planting (especially with new compost added) so it will be interesting to see if I can contain it a little.

One large section is based on pink turning to hot orange/gold towards the top. Mixed bright daylilies at the base. Have already spread starts of feverfew and scattered 2 types wild daisie seeds.






This section has 2 climbing Hydrangeas planted to grow up, down and sidewards. The area will be based on the pink Roses, plum Buddleias, more naturalizing cone flowers, daisies, hesperus, gooseneck loostrife (yes, I know - I get to plant the invasive stuff here!) and the base garden is still up in the air but must be low maintenance.

I'll look up the other rose selections. Thank you.

Wow! Those are gorgeous planting beds. And your treatment of them looks great. It's hard to really fathom how special great piles of granite are until one has lived in a place like Victoria, TX where the ground is flat and almost level for 100 miles in every direction, and furrowed land stretches out to the horizon for mile after mile along the highway.

IMO, Pinks and purples combine marvelously. Pink is the color roses do best, so it's a good choice..

It sounds like the goal is to use soft pastels, mostly. I have a few beds where I've done the same and I find some deep purple really brings them to life. Punchy dark purples would pop against those granite rocks. Purples also might work to tie together warm colored areas and pink colored areas. The buddleia certainly gets the purple thing going. Not sure if you've considered monarda - perhaps it is too leggy or too prone to mildew. But I have found it to be pretty carefree when established. Purple Rooster might work. I've grown Violet Queen both in New Jersey and here in AZ and am much enamored of it when it is in bloom. It could look really good with lavender/pink echinacea. It also looks good with salvia May Night. Both are low maintenance plants, in my experience. Of course, phlox can look good with these plants, although hesperus probably fills that niche.

I am tempted to recommend miniature roses as a possibility for near the edge. Cupcake grew well for me in NJ without much care. In good conditions it produces lots of neat little pink flowers over a long bloom period. China Doll, a polyantha, does the same. If white roses are admitted, I am very fond of Gourmet Popcorn for its vigor, good health, and generosity of bloom. I've also been pleased with the miniature rose Water Lily which has been in bloom continuously since May here.

It's a fun project in a great space. I've been enjoying all the photos and the chance to think about it. Can't wait to see how it turns out!