| We have lived in VA for 4.5 years and this is the 4th year we've been dealing with our raised flowerbeds in our patio. 3 years ago I planted several perennials, but some got choked out by an invasive ground cover (I've gotten better about managing that) and my two climbing roses were sickly and I had two rose bushes with one being sickly and the other not growing as the container said it would (not up at all, just out) and that was a problem for using the patio.
So, this weekend I took out all four roses. This is what I have left in the beds.
One bed is 2 feet wide by 20 feet long with a middle section that is 4 feet by about 5 feet. The 'beds' go: Sage plant, removed climbing roses with some Coreopsis verticillata 'Zagreb in front of it. In the middle I have a small lilac push surrounded by that invasive ground cover, on the other side of that I have two cat mint plants and at the end is an older rhododendron bush.
The other side is 20 feet by 3 feet wide. Again, I start with a sage plant, 2 purple chrysanthemum plants, the removed two rose bushes, another chrysanthemum and at the end it widens and has a Japanese maple and Lenten roses underneath.
Around the patio I have several pots that I fill with annuals for more showy flowers.
Right now I feel (even before I took the roses out) a terribly boring patio. I don't really like the cat mint or the sage and I'm "eh" on the chrysanthemums... I can't start over and I hate killing plants for no reason, but I need some help.
I want to put climbers on the fences (with the aid of a trellises), but I don't want it to be overly invasive and not damaging. And it can't be anything that will go "ouch" to kids playing on the cement patio.
Thanks for suggestions! | 
