Looks like you really don't have any room left for anything except annuals. All that stuff you already have in there now is going to grow. The problem now is it is all new and small. It won't stay that way, unless you keep cutting/shearing it all back and prevent it from developing normally - as too many people out here now do.

I disagree with bboy. I think you have room for a few small shrubs and perennials, but what you have now is definitely a hodge podge. I dare say, little attention was paid to light and soil needs. Azaleas and roses, for example, have different needs. You need to get a good sense of what you have and what the soil and sun conditions are in that bed.

I'd make a list of what you have in the whole bed (by the way, the side bed looks slightly better than the from the front bed in the photo). It looks like there's some nepata?, grasses?,daylillies? maybe a butterfly bush over on the end??? Hard to tell from the photos. Start from the list.

You may want to add some tall bearded irises (easy to get from a gardening friend) to go along with the roses. Or you may find you have enough sun for russian sage, and purple coneflower, both tall growing perennials.

Get rid of the chive, it's just an invasive weed, really, unless carefully chosen for a particular spot. You probably want to move the azaleas to a spot where they'll be happier. Also, the bed looks like it could use some good compost and maybe some organic fertilizer to perk up the plants.

When you know what you have, it's very easy to move plants and you still have a bit of time before the summer weather makes it a bad idea to do so. Just be sure to dig big enough holes, top dress with some good compost, water in well, and mulch around the plant (keeping away from the crown of the plant.)

Thanks for the responses. Definitely a hodge podge for sure. I'm not trying to justify it, but the azaleas are pretty far back in the bed where they are shaded by the deck quite a bit where as the knockout roses are towards the front where it is full sun. I remember both doing okay last summer. Maybe the knockouts are more flexible to different soils than regular roses to the point where they both worked?

Thanks for the perennial recs, I'll check those out. I believe there were some coneflowers in there last year. Might an All Summer Hydrangea smack in the middle of the bed work? I have several of the paniculata in other areas of my yard but I know they would get too big.

Thanks again for the help, I'm more of a landscaper than a gardener so this is new to me!

Are you interested in edibles? I would love to step down and gather some cherry tomatoes or snip some basil. With the raised bed you could develop a kind of potager garden with combination of ornamentals and edibles, and some annual flowers each year for extra color. That really depends on what appeals to you, though and you may want just more low-maintenance color.

Knockout roses do tolerate some shade and azaleas tolerate some sun--so it is entirely possible to have achieved a happy combo with the right locations.

The first thing that occurs to me is to add vining plants up the trellis/railings. You could try some of the shorter clematis, for instance, and that would give you some height without requiring a lot of space in the bed.

Are the azaleas really happy there? Just wondering, since they like acid soil, unlike what we tend to have around here, and so many of the ones I see just don't seem to be very healthy.

You really don't have a whole lot of depth to work with. If you tinker with it and still feel like it needs more (maybe in a couple of years or so), I'd consider adding a lower raised bed in front, to add more possibilities. Also remember, this time of year a lot of perennials look pretty blah. I always get really impatient about this time of year!

I plan on keeping the edibles in pots this year. I want this bed to be strictly low maintenance color.

Clematis sounds like a great idea! I never thought of a climbing vine for the back but that would fit my needs perfectly. I'll have to research which variety to choose.

I'm not sure how happy the azaleas really are- one looks really good and has tons of pink flowers just about to open up, the other looks leggy but healthy enough- check out the second picture they're next to each other right in the middle. I just found out the shrub on the left is an Alpine Currant which seems like an odd choice. I've heard our soil isn't the best typically for azaleas but I do see quite a bit of the more common Rhododendrons in the neighborhood blooming like crazy. Are those more hearty than the azaleas?

I see that you're from Illinois, what perennials/flowering schrubs have you had good luck with?

Yup, the perennials are looking a bit blah right now. I took "barefootinct's" advice and bought a couple of bags of manure compost from Menards to mix into the soil.

Azaleas and rhododendrons are related - it isn't a question of hardiness, but of soil conditions. I'm not sure which ones are happier around here - I prefer to plant things where I don't have to mess with soil ph, especially for shrubs that I want to have a long time.

I actually don't have many shrubs that would work in that space, but you could consider one of the small spireas (although I tend to think they get overused in commercial plantings and so I don't want the in my home garden!).

Also, if you want color all summer long, you may want to consider annuals. Most perennials only bloom for a limited amount of time. Stella d'oro daylilies will bloom all summer, but again, are overused because of that. They would give you a bright contrast against the knockout roses, however! If you wanted to use more yellows to contrast with the knockouts, you could consider adding rudbeckia/brown-eyed susans and/or coreopsis. For more height, you could try hollyhocks, although those won't bloom until the end of summer - they are definitely dramatic, and look great in front of fences.

The Alpine Currant (Ribes Alpinum) will be okay where it is for a long time - left to grow naturally it doesn't get too large and it produces lots of "currants" in the fall. Extremely popular in Minnesota - maybe not so much elsewhere. I've got a row, clipped into a hedge along a portico and some around the yard left to grow naturally. The hedged row takes a pruning or shearing like a trooper.

With a confined space, I might experiment getting my "wow" factor using annuals for this gardening year. And they bloom all season whereas perennials don't. Gives you a chance to test out color combinations, sizes, textures, etc. without a long term commitment.

Menards had a selection of clematis - primarily Jackmanii (large flowered dark purple) and Nelly Moser (white with pink petal stripe). I've only had experience with Jackmanii - seems to maintain a small footprint, but heavy dense topgrowth. There are lots of varieties that don't overwhelm, though.

Thanks everyone, your responses have been tremendously helpful!! I really appreciate the individual attention to my garden bed.

I'm with you, 'irene_dsc', I don't want to mess with soil chemistry at all. The azaleas were here when I got here so they'll stay until they die. But I definitely won't add any more!

I've started considering a more annuals now. It seems to give me more options. Here is a thread I found with several options:
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/peren/msg042214574860.html?21

Daylilies are overused in my area- and I mean my yard in particular!! The previous owner must have been obsessed with them, there are probably over 100 and even a few in the photos above.

The Hollylocks and Clematis seem like GREAT options to put in the back of the bed to distract attention away from the zig zag bracing under the deck, thanks for those recommendations.