In the background of the first picture, from 3:00 to 6:00 is several puny Peony plants slowly being strangled by Virginia Creeper and Goldenrod. If you could move those to full sun that would be a good thing. Most people suggest moving Peonies in fall but now would be better for those particular plants, they aren't going to bloom in the state they are in now anyway. The middle picture in the Rose montage suggests Rose Rosette Disease, the side shoots coming from the main stem are enlarged and hyper prickly. That's a serious disease that's lethal to the Rose and spreads quickly. If you have other Roses in the collection you'll want to read up and RRD and remove any infected plants. I don't know if anyone has mentioned it yet, the Star-of-Bethlehem is a weed. Congrats on your new garden. Hopefully the previous gardener got to take starts of her favorites with her. I'm looking forward to seeing more pictures.

Before spending money on something called "soil" take a good look at the soil you already have. It does little good to add to bad soil some even really good soil but even bad soil with the proper amendments can be made good and often at lower cost then buying some kind of "soil". Contact the people at your local office of the Washington State University Cooperative Extension Service about having a good, reliable soil test done so you know your soils pH and present level of certain nutrients and then dig into your soil with these simple soil tests, 1) Structure. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. A good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top. Drainage. Dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drains too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up. 3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart. 4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer your soil will smell. 5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy. which can guide you in making the soil you have into a good, healthy soil that will grow strong and healthy plants better able to ward off insect pests and plant diseases. Here is a link that might be useful: WSU CES

Kristi, just thought I should mention the Kordes perfume-fest Parole, aka Buxom Beauty. Was introduced to the USA in 2008, so it may have gone under your radar. Apart from its names (Jailbait/Dumpling - yeah, good work there, Kordes Marketing Dept), this deep cerise pink rose is pretty near perfect - no spray requirements, beautiful high-centred flowers with substantial petals (HUGE blooms in cooler weather), nicely productive with a fragrance that is really intoxicating and waft-y, richly sweet but sophisticated. No cold cream or myrrh. And it cuts like a dream. I'm up to six of these. They're my battery hens for vase filling. Just sayin'.

Amber another thing you can do is post on Craigs list if anyone has any Hen and chicks that they want to get rid of if they are in your area. Or if they would like to trad bleeding hearts for Hen and Chicks. I have had good luck with Craigs list.