Tex, what are the low growing plants in front of the beds, especially the dark purple ones in the first picture?
I am aiming for a mixed cottage bed look, but having trouble finding good plants for the front of the border.
I moved my irises to the sides of my flower beds because they were getting too much water planted with the roses. The sides are made a bit higher than the rest of the bed to aid drainage. It isn't visibly higher to anyone but a gardener. I have a few lilies. They multiplied, so I have to move a few around. My roses are just getting established, not at full height.
Last year I tried using a natural, non toxic spray program (neems, baking soda, etc.) and added a few veggies in the rose garden. Brussels sprouts and dark purple kale were very decorative. The black spot was not. I am using fungicides this year, so no veggies in that bed.
I have baby clematis with a few roses, we'll see how they do. I also have a few peonies. Once they bloom, I shorten the foliage a bit to get more sun to the plants behind them. The peonies are really tall and healthy this year.
I have star of yelta purple morning glories on trellis against the building, behind the flower bed. They reseed and come back every year, but I always have a few strays to pull out. I don't mind, they do really well in a very difficult spot. I started a couple of other varieties to add with the yelta this year. I also planted some hyacinth beans in a couple places on the trellis.
I had been putting glads and a couple dahlias in the garden, but last year I made a resolution - all plants that need to be dug up to overwinter go in pots. I plan to make a papercrete planter for the glads, better get going on that! (The neighbors will surely get a kick out of that experiment.)
The squirrels planted a couple of black walnuts among the iris. Out they went!
I winter sowed some salvia, campanula and other perennials to eventually try with the roses. First, I have to finish finding room for a couple of roses. I am trying not to have any roses in pots. The logical way to achieve that would be to not add any more roses. I am very logical about most things, but, well......
