Progress in the rose garden, part 4

It's been a month since my last update on the rose garden and I've been busy weeding and watering. One of my goals is to reduce both of those, but I know I'll have to do a lot more until my new plants are established and grow big enough to cover the space. I hooked up soaker hoses this week but not sure if they will provide enough water in the right places, I may still need to hand water some plants.

Front fence, looking north

North fence, looking east

Bottom section. looking east

I added a few plants here and there: three each of chives (allium schoenoprasum), white lavender (lavandula angustifolia 'Nana Alba') and yarrow (achillea 'Desert Eve Deep Rose' and 'Desert Eve Red'), plus four creeping thyme that I grew from seed. 

I have more seedlings to plant, white calamint, blue calamint, pink nepeta and red and blue aquilegia - as soon as they get a little bigger. I'm worried about pests - there are definitely rabbits around - and keeping them watered enough when they're so small. 

White lavender

Of the ten ranunculus 'Purple Sensation' bulbs that I planted, only five have come up and they're not growing very quickly. The ranunculus that I had bought early in the spring bloomed nicely but now look dead. I'll see what happens this summer and next spring, but I have read that ranunculus just don't well here, it's not quite cool enough. 

Everything else is growing, slowly but surely. 

Munstead lavender, yarrow and Heron's Bill in the back

Hardy geranium

Fern leaf lavender

I had hoped that the peonies I planted in the fall would bloom, but I knew it was likely too soon. Could be another 2-3 years.

Peonies and white lavender in front

The roses are loving the warm spring we're having. They are already having black spot problems, we spray with neem oil and need to go snip off more infected leaves. But the flowers are gorgeous and the plants are generally healthy.

Wild rose at the very bottom of the lower section of roses, growing a little wild