Specialty Gardening: Looking for a new look, 1 by ilovedahlias

ilovedahlias wrote:
When I started planning this corner garden 5 years ago, I was very into hot colors--bright oranges, gold, and red. Now I am wondering if they are just too harsh, especially the bright orange. (Even though that butterfly weed really does feed the butterflies and bees, too. They love it...and it blooms so long, practically as good as an annual). So I am leaning towards more cool colors, like light pinks, blues. I also think that a cottage garden look might go better with my house, which is a Victorian. What do you think? What could I keep and what could I introduce to make this better and get a new look? I am thinking especially of a light pink or dark pink rose, maybe a Dwarf Alberta spruce somewhere in there to add some more formal structure.

To give you an idea of what I have in there, there is a Winterberry shrub in the very back, a rhododendron to the left anchoring that corner, and a very small conical boxwood which you can't see at all which is supposed to anchor the right corner. In terms of perennials, there is catmint in the center, veronica Blue Charm, white Becky shasta daisy, orange butterfly weed, heliopsis 'Summer Nights' (that's the gold flower draping all over its neighbors), red bee balm, and black-eyed susan yet to bloom in this midsummer picture.