It's better now

Ok, I at least have the edging done and have built it up some, still got to haul in some more compost and good dirt.
I thought maybe since it might look a little better and you could help me figure out what to do.
I want a border and I was thinking about bachelor buttons, but they will probably be too tall
Come on now, give me some ideas. Will put a plant on top of the stump that hangs down.
See the rocks. They are there to hide some steel wires and concrete that was left after we took down the concrete steps. No way to get them up, even tried to pull them out with a truck, so I have to do something there. I thought I would put some kind of rock garden flower. If you have better idea, please tell me

How about putting some soil between the rocks & planting something advertised for filling spaces between paving blocks. Surround with plants lower that the height of the rock, or here & there someting a bit taller than the rocks.

What kind of soil. I love the idea of something in the rocks and something around it. Do you think I should put some kind of creeping plant in the rocks or is that going to interfere with the ones around it.
Answered my own question I think. It's I shouldn't. Maybe something a little tall, 12 inches or so in the rocks and then a low plant around it.

Experiment with annuals to see how you like it. Then when you have that. figured out you can go into something more permanent. what type of interesting plants grow in your area? Climate different from here. there are always plants like hens & chicks for in the rocks. Use the same type of soil that is in the rest of the bed.

how about a birdbath or some other type of yard art to go where the rocks are?can you move the rocks and level the area under it?
I have an ugly green cover on our plumbing trap that is right in the middle of my flower bed. I have to have easy access to the trap, so I just covered it with a small statue. It works :0)

Maybe a stone birdbath or fountain and then you can plant lower growing stuff all around it. Im not sure where this is in your yard, next to the front door?

Could you buy one of those tower trellises to put over the wire and concrete instead of the rock? Then you could grow a vine (blackeyed Susan or something) on it to hide the whole mess. Or where you live you could use jasmine so it would be evergreen and hide the mess all year round. Then you could mix dwarf ornamental grasses (Hamlin or Little Bunny come to mind) with whatever type of flowers you like around the tower trellis. I have dwarf grasses mixed in my butterfly bed and the BFs love to land on it to bask in the sun.

Another DGer has a similar idea.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/816608/

Taking out the rocks are the best ideas I've had. The area that has to be covered is about as big as the rocks. Maybe 2 X 3. It's bent wire with concrete on the ends. I thought about just planting flowers there, but then in the winter it would be seen. I have Jasmine and you can't kill it. What about one of those concrete bird baths with something growing out of it that would hang over to the ground and cover them?

how about pouring a cement circle base to cover what is there, then putting a birdbath on the base?

That would work, but the concrete would have to be about 6 inches deep because the wire and all is about 5 or 6 inches high. We even used a truck and tried to get that stuff out of the ground.
I do like that idea.

You can just use a plastic edging to make a circle. they have it at the hardware store in 6 inches.
If your going to place a birdbath, or fountain on it, you would want it to be thick cement. You would also want to fill the are underneath with base rock so that the cement doesnt sink once you put your birdbath on it. You can make the circle base pretty big, at least big enough to cover the wires and cement that you have there. Then once you place the bird bath or fountain on the base, you can set potted plants around it to hide the cement base. (have your grandkids put their hand prints in the base! LOL! That is a must! they grow soooo fast! then add lots and lots of those seeds and plants youve been winter sowing.... and youre set! :o) I want After pictures of whatever you decide to do! LOL!

I think the bird bath would look real nice. And with that arrangement, you could easily control whatever you choose to grow in it (plus changing plants would be easier too). I'm with oneanjl--we need "after" pictures. I have a butterfly garden that I wanted to put a bird bath in but it gets blasted with scorching west sun in the summertime--it would probably bring the water to a boil, lol. So, now I'm on the lookout for an old well pump to put in the center.

An old well pump. So, what I'm hearing is I need a bird bath. Now all I have to do is talk my sons or my ex-husband to do the concrete.
Hubby is really good helping if he can, and he can fix concrete, so I'll beg.
That is surely going to look better than those ugly rocks. I could change the flowers out from time to time
Now, where can I put some kind of evergreens so it has something in there in winter.

I thought about bachelor buttons as a border, but I'm not good at that either. Any suggestions

how about some hen and chicks around the rocks

I love the hen and chicks. I've never been able to grow them, don't know if I water too much or what, or if it's just the weather and rainfall here.
They would be pretty.

well, you can plant silver falls in the bird bath....it will grow over the sides and spill onto the concrete pad below.....

I have no problem growing them here and assumed because of your climate down there that it wouldn't be a problem either. We plant them almost on top of the ground and don't water them unless we have a reallly dry spell and they have seemed to survive planted on the south side where they get fulll to partial sun. I guess if you ever try to grow them again maybe cut back on your watering??

Whatever you decide... I want after pictures! LOL!

ShakyJ, I'm sure it's my fault. I've never been able to raise succulants because I do water too much!! Every year I try and every year i mess them up!! Just think of all the dead hen and chicks out there somewhere.

Oneanji, I saw the silver falls the other day and I thought about them.
Should it have something taller in the middle if I use that?

How about mondo grass or lilyturf? Some of the forest grasses are real cool too!

I thought the silver falls would look cool if you were planning to put a pot inside the birdbath, then they can hang over the side and you could put another plant in the top of the birdbath with them? From what I hear -the silver falls grows rapidly and really really long. not sure if they are year round tho...

That is a really idea. I love it. I wouldn't have thought of the extra pot. I made a thing like that once.
16 pot on bottom, then 14, then 12, 10. I don't remember what I had in it. Something on bottom that hung over. then second from the bottom I think was begonia and something else, on and on. It really was pretty, so bird bath with another pot inside it is. I may put caladiums in top piece, or coleus.

oh...wait... I just had a vision....
do the pot in the pot trick:

large pot on the bottom filled with soil and plant around the outside edge, set another pot in the center of the large pot and agin, plant something around the outside edge, trailing something...
keep stacking smaller size pots all the way up. on the top, you can put a saucer with a little water in it for the birds. that way you have plants all the way down the 'birdbath' :)

anyhow, just another brain sprinkle :-)

Actually, I did that last summer, can't remember how I planted it. I know there was coleus in the smallest, begonias. somethere. I took a picture of it, cause I thought it was really cool. I'm going to try and find it!!! So, great minds work alike!!! Or it could just be that "crazy people" think alike lol

LOL! Well speaking only for myself... craxy definitely fits :-) dont know about the'great'part not unless its : Greatly crazy! LOL

There you go!!!