I think both Zuzu and Rita have stunningly beautiful gardens, and would be thrilled to be able to produce the same results!
When I planted roses 2 ft apart they died. In NJ I objected to watering regularly, so sometimes the cause of a rose's demise was dry soil. Here, where the ground is fairly dry, the normal practice is to leave much more space between plants in order to conserve water. I'm afraid I've not completely gotten with the program on that, but at least my larger shrub roses are five to seven feet apart (Falstaff and Abe Darby are stretching out to fill that space quickly). A mixed bed of HTs and floribundas will have spacing closer to three feet. And minis are 18 inches apart. I'm afraid you'll see mulch between them until I figure out some better practice.
I am working on incorporating salvias, sedums, lavender, dianthus, lilies, larkspur, anemonies, and other annuals, perennials, bunch grasses, and bulbs into the beds around and between roses. I'm even trying to see if certain vegetables can look good there. I've planted peas with lilies. And put a bed of garlic in a shady bed where I should not have even planted shade-tolerant roses. But it's still too early to tell if any of this is working. One thing I do know; I would love to be able to do away with having to look at mulch.
