I think it's a very good space for an herb garden, but not enough space for herbs AND a rose like Zephrine which will eat that space alive in a few years. You might like a small obelisk trellis with something like a Jean LaJoy (small climber) or miniature climbing rose of some sort. Whatever would work well in your climate. Since the rose won't grow that much in your first year, I'd plant an annual vine on it, if you can.
When is your last frost date? Do you know?
April 7th is not very much time to get things looking "fantastic" unless you totally overjam it with plants, which you can certainly do, using loads of annuals around your newly planted herbs. Perennials just won't grow that fast and fill things out (generally 3 years or so). Dianthus, violas, calendulas would be super in there, because they are all edible. Throw in some really colorful lettuces too, and it would be gorgeous.

Do you think there might have been a tree growing there at one time? I'm not so sure it would be the best place to plant an herb garden. If it were me I'd reclaim the space as part of the patio and create an herb bed elsewhere.

How about turning it into a water feature with a fountain?

Do you have a picture of your circular bed? While a rose would be beautiful, six feet isn't very large, for a rose and herbs. How about a sun dial, with herbs underneath? Depending on your drainage and zone, there are a lot of herbs you could choose. I'd probably either do culinary or fragrant herbs...or maybe a combination.

Some nice herbs are dill, basil, sage, tarragon, rosemary, lavender, lemon verbena, and maybe a type of mint (in a pot). You could also make a very nice veggie bed, with a tomato in the middle, and add some bush beans, marigolds, some basil, spinach, a little lettuce and maybe some alyssum underneath it all. Or a lovely butterfly garden, with a combination of herbs, annuals and a few perennials. There are a lot of options :)

Is that disc inside the "circle" made of brick? If so, where would you plant? Underneath the pot? That's very little space...

I think in the end, you'd be far happier tearing this firepit(?) out and adding planters around the edge of your patio, or start a bed further out in the yard.

LL, here's the pic she linked.

Fantastic looking by April....Well, you could
1. keep it as a fire pit area and get rid of the bench and upgrade with different seating
2. clear it all out and get an outdoor rug to cover the whole thing and put your table and chairs over it.
3. get some snazzy pots with different herbs and flowers and stage it on the circular part.

Before you decide to turn that circle into a garden I would check to be sure that water can drain through. The house my mother moved into had a similar structure, only the whole thing was made of concrete with some river stone to dress it up. I think it was a koi pond at one point but by the time we got the house it had been turned into a garden bed, but everything in it died in the winter because there was no drainage and all the plants drowned. We removed the entire thing and are much happier with it gone.

Lana- Thanks to the photo Natal posted, I can see you have plenty of yard available...why not have your potager out there? It can still be circular...or any shape you want, but you'd have the advantage of having more space, better drainage and more protection for plants, over the winter.

If you like roses and herbs, you could give them there own special area, or make them the central feature of your potager. Maybe some vegetable beds around them...there are so many possibilites. Even a smaller corner of the backyard can become a lovely potager :)

Girlgroupgirl, not sure of my last frost date, but I am in Zone 7. I was thinking of filling in with annuals too; that is a great idea.

Natal, I do think there may have been a tree, but I don't know if there is a large root structure there. Donna, the bricks are not mortared and are set on top of sand which is on top of dirt. They are very easy to remove.

Lavender Lass, thank you for the herb and plant recommendations. I think it could be really pretty there, but does eat up a LOT of patio space. One of my problems is that my yard has large oak trees over the grassy areas which makes in nearly impossible to plant herbs fruits or vegetables in another bed. The patio has the only sunny space. The best solution seems to be either using this circle or adding pots around the patio for herbs etc.

Natal, a landscaper friend recommended a fountain as well . . . but the more I think about it and listen to your recommendations, I will probably be much happier with that space filled in with concrete or at least lowering the bricks so they are level with the patio. Ali has some great ideas as well. A large grouping of pots could work there and if I don't like it I can always reposition them.

Thank you all, Lana

Gingoglass -- didn't realized when I looked at the pic that the area was that raised up. I guess a outdoor rug would only work if the bricks were removed. Definitely an odd feature.

Ali-B, I think the bricks could be lowered and leveled with the patio, but it may be easier to just add concrete to that area. An outdoor rug would look great there -- I love outdoor living spaces.