Oh...here's a close-up of the fountain. Just in case that helps.

Here is a link that might be useful:

I just did a walk around fountain this summer for the landscape at my work.I had the same problem.I wanted natural not so staged looking, but my boss wanted a pro look.This is how i set out to do that,being the first year it wasn't to bad.As with any bed there is somethings I will change next year.First I made it into a layered/lasagna bed.I contoured the area with higher and lower spots so it wasn't just a flat circle. Not by much just few inches of higher and lower spots.When I picked and planted I put "needs good drainage" plants in the high spots where i mixed pebbles to raise the level and "likes lots of water" in the lower spots.Then sectioned the bed in four groups by laying rope from fountain to edge.For each bed section I bought the same line of plants,with varied colored flowers.This gave me semity, not chaotic mess. In each section I put my center in a different corner of the section.Planted my favorite bush roses (that was my "center")in three colors in two of the sections and just one color in the other two.So my first section has roses in the far left lower corner then small to taller stuff till the fountain,the section next to that starts with the roses close to the fountain in the upper left corner and goes small to taller till the lower right edge. Of course nothing is more than 3 feet tall so you can see over everything and i did stager things to peek through.Its not in a row/line small to tall.My tallest plants are a great varity of grasses.I love grasses.They flow and flower.In a foutain area you can trim them to the size that looks best. I also made sure there is something in bloom all the time in each section.Because it was my bosses money, I bought it all at once, placed where I thought it should go and just went out to look at it everyday for a week before I PLANTED ANYTHING.I really,really wanted to put a trellis/arbor over the fountain inside the edge, climbing with anything,but the man who signs my paycheck didn't want anything higher than the fountain!So I planted ivy vines close to the fountain in hopes it would trial over with some help, and it is.All the ground cover I planted in between the main plants also trails.As for the cottage part of it I planted lots of herbs(chives, parsley, orgeno, rosemary, sage), camille, lupine, lemon balm,garlic (for my roses),mini sun flowers things like that.Of course I did it all on paper first.I also put large rocks in clusters around here and there, I love rocks too!Damn that sounds like alot of work, I think I should have gotten a raise!!!Sorry I went on and on but there really was no short cut.Hope you can pull an idea out of this.What i love most about gardening is it can change with what i like,nothing in set in stone just lovly rich soil!

My thoughts:
I wouldn't plant anything that is eventually going to get as big as the fountain, in volume.
Zone 8 full sun means you can grow a huge amount of perennials. How much time do you want to spend on annuals or do you just want perennials? Likewise, how much do you want to be evergreen? Evergreen herbs would certainly be cottagey.
What colors do you like? The first things I thought of were rudbeckia, verbena boniarensis and echinacea, all because they grow tallish, but not round and dense, so would not compete with the fountain.
I think you need to divide up the circle with little paths for tending the bed. Don't plant tall things right up against the fountain, put in a path right around so you can get up to it if needed. The paths could just be stepping stones, just something to give you some access.

This was fun, I read it right before bed and it gave me something to think about all night. : )
I will probably have more thoughts later.

First let me say you have a lovely fountain and a lovely home as well. The brick and the circle tend to give it a formal feel. Since the fountain isn't raised, I would either raise it on some sort of brick platform. Otherwise, any plant that has any height at all will hide that beautiful fountain. Another idea would be to put in four small paths of brick, flagstone or gravel leading up to the fountain. This would allow taller plants in each of the quadrants but give a peek a boo look at the base of the fountain.

I would love to see what you do with it. Make sure to post a picture of it.

Michelle

You have a lovely house! The fountain and brick coping are very large. If you add lots of plants, annuals, perennials, shrubs, whatever, they will overwhelm and detract from your house, IMHO. My suggestion is to pick a lowgrowing evergreen groundcover to fill the space between the brick coping and fountain. The fountain is quite ornate--it doesn't need further ornamentation thru plantings. Otherwise, I am afraid the effect will be way too busy and there will be a visual war between the house and the fountain area.

Oh thank you all so much! You've given me lots to think about. Flowered-corners, do you have pictures of your project? It sounds absolutely to die for! I like the idea of having higher and lower areas to accomodate specific plants' needs.

Debbieca, I'm glad you mentioned paths for access when tending this garden. Good idea. You asked about perennials, annuals, or evergreens. I would like to have mostly perennials with some annuals added to give it constant punch through the growing season. I'm not really familiar with evergreen herbs. I can see I have a lot of studying to do before I start planting. :) I hope you add more comments as you think of ideas.

Michelle, thank you for the compliment on our house and new fountain. I really like your idea of four small paths to divide off sections, allow access to the flowers and fountain, and give full view glimpses of the fountain.

Ginny, your warning is well-taken. I just so have my heart set on the fountain rising out of a bed of perennials and annuals. I'm not experienced at designing beds and maybe what I'm thinking is not really the best use of the space. I can't really explain--it's kind of like a paradox. There is the round brick circle, the fountain in the middle...kind of formal...then I want the paradox--an informal garden surrounding it...all cottagey looking with just a few taller perennials that will just cover a little of the fountain view here and there. Am I making any sense or does it read like I'm just babbling on? :)

Thanks for all your help. Y'all are such nice people on this forum.

Love the fountain and the house and am enjoying thinking about what I would do in your shoes. Salvia coccinea lady in red is an annual but is a reliable re-seeder, and the fun thing is watching the hummers and the finches on it. The seedlings are easy to pull up when they show up too thickly or where you don't want them (no runners, really not a thug!) They start blooming in June and go until the first hard frost, and range from about 18 to 24-30 inches tall. The flower spikes are see-through enough to let your lovely fountain base show. Stokes asters, scabiosa, light-colored yarrow (anthea?), all give a nice contrast in shape and color. Salvia coccinea also comes in white and there is a pink and white variety. They are about the easiest thing to start from seed I know of and some garden centers carry them in cellpacks.

Irises and some daylilies have evergreen foliage and would give you more variety and some shape in the winter. Tall blue bearded iris would be so elegant around your fountain.

Thanks for the pictures and the fun.

Pretty Pretty Pretty..both the house and the fountain. I like everyone's ideas too.....here is another..not sure how it would work..but keep plants low.. and plant in the same Pattern the fountain outline is? Maybe only using two texture/or colors? That way, your house and the fountain stay the focus. Just a idea...

I also love the trim on your peaks...pretty and cottagey. Good luck, post the finshed product!

I think you should use some "see through" plants. These are plants that can have some height, but are light and airy and easy to see through, they don't block the fountain. Two that come to mind and would be nice here are verbena bonariensis and gaura lindheimeri. Plant those liberally, and use low growing plants throughout - perhaps some annuals for all season color.

The light purple here is verbena, notice how you can see through it.

Ginny and I must be on the same wave length, because I was thinking the same thing.

The fountain alone is a beautiful focal point in the bed you've created. If it were mine, I think I would surround it with various low to medium height evergreens. In other words, give all the attention to the fountain and frame it with the evergreens.

With the evergreens as permanent bones, you could also tuck in some annuals for seasonal color.

Also, have you considered some kind of lighting for your fountain? Perhaps you could tuck in some spots among the evergreens and aim them towards the cascading fountain. I think the effect would be very beautiful at night.

As you can tell, I love your fountain. I think whatever you decide to do will be gorgeous!

Marilyn

Hi Again, Looking at your pictures some more, it looks like dividing your circle into quarters would leave spaces too large to get to. What if you went with five or even seven sections, something like a wagon wheel look...
http://homepages.donobi.net/timer/herbs.html (scroll down)? This would give you the formality these folk seem to be saying you need, but still give you cottage. Herbs that are evergreen here include rosemary (make sure it is a smaller one), rue, lavender, oregano, hyssop (I mean the species but agastache rupestris is a plant that would give you a bit of color in a wispy see through plant), thyme (and lemon thyme is incredible, changing colors from yellow to green to red in the cool months), violets, yarrow, chives, some artemisias, dianthus caryophyllaceae, I think catnip, but I aways get fed up with it, pelargoniums, chives and parsley. Don't use garlic chives or mints.
Peonies, roses, and monarda are considered herbs but would leave large gaps part of the year. Poppies are also herbal. Echinacea, nasturtium, calendula, wallflower and foxglove are others. All those are seasonal. There are of course many others.
One thing about herbs is the color is mostly subtle. Carefully chosen, you could have color most of the year without it standing up and screaming the way say rudbeckia does : )
Saying that, I think Ginny is a pro, and she doesn't speak up often so is that much more worth hearing.

Keesha, I was thinking the same as you...

to keep the focus on the house and fountain, and since it's a pretty formal look, I was thinging one mass planting?

I envisioned originally a mass of impatients! or somethign low liek that that would give color all season..

I even though maybe all low evergreens too- woudl look pretty alll year and keep this area low maintenance.

However- i LOVE the idea of the irises and daylilies. the foliage does stay nice for a long time.

don't forget the spring bulbs now...! :) haha

I think maybe I would do a ring of irises, and a row of evergreen crawlers infrnt of that and leave the rest of the space for one mas planting of summer annuals like impatients or something.

But i'd be sure to make and edge of daffodils and forget me nots for spring before the annuals come out..! :)

:)

I love your fountain. It is so pretty. I think you can't go wrong in whatever you choose! It seems as in you might have full sun for this fountain? If you do, I suggest you divide the fountain into sections and plant roses, not just any rose, but some ANTIQUE Roses, then fill in with bulb, perennials and some annuals working outward. You can certainly mix grasses with the roses, perennials, and annuals. In your zone, most roses will do great, many will stay evergreen too! I think some pretty antique teas would be wonderful. They will get large over time, but in the meantime fill in with all the others. Just an idea, no matter what you choose, it will be wonderful! I think too if you have any brick leftover if you could lay some for the divison of quadrants or spaces and that could be what you walk on to get in there and do your garden work. Have fun!!
~jenn

When I look at your fountain bed I think of soft fluffy grey green foliage and a color scheme in yellows, creams, or pinks, or actually any warm pastels. You could pick a color tone from the bricks or from the house trim.

I also would keep almost all the plantings very low so that they do not compete with the fountain. I would use something like Santolina (Cotton Lavender) to outline the bed, or beds within the bed. You could also use plants like Iberis sempervirens (Candytuft)or Aurinia saxatilis (Basket of Gold) which also have low evergreen foliage, one being sort of felty and silvery and the other crisp green. Add any of the "rock" plants such as saponaria, aubretia, arabis, etc., for spring bloom and some of the dwarfer penstemons or verbascums for some height and later bloom. Other possibilities include dwarf (6-10 inches) bearded iris for foliage contrast (and pretty flowers), as well as low growing/sprawling succulents or sedums, and small grasses.

Most of these plants like things somewhat on the dry side so you would not have to water often, which might be quite an advantage in a raised bed away from the house. I'm sure there are a lot more plant possibilities for zone 8 than those I am familiar with in zone 5, ones that are perhaps more suitable for your location, but I'm sure you can find ones that have a similar effect. Best wishes!

sorry i don't have any pics.never thought of really taking any till I spent time on this sight.I have had other staff and friends for several beds, say you should have taken a pic of before and after, but who would I show them to?Most of my friends just have a hosta or two,thier not much into the gardening.But I will start taking some, not that I have close to fininished beds but they are progressing.I have learned so much this past year!!

Thank you all for the wonderful ideas. You've given me much to think about. I have printed and saved all of your posts to ponder over. I will definitely post pictures of the finished project.

For those of you who suggested using evergreens, could you give a few evergreen names for me to check out?

Isn't it funny how we yearn for that big space to plant in, and then when it's there, we panic a bit about what to plant ?

I'm with you, I'd definitely do a cottagey look. Maybe 3 or four peachy-pinky floribunda or Austin roses, and then use black & blue salvia, yellow daylilies and white blackfoot daisies to fill in around them. Good luck, and whatever you decide, be sure to post pictures !

Texas Carol

AS far as suggestions for evergreens, how about boxwoods, junipers, rosemary or holly? Using evergreens you could create the basic bones around the fountain, and then fill in with pockets of color if you choose.

Honestly, that is such a beautiful fountain I wouldn't do anything to detract from its beauty by surrounding it with too much. I'd start very basic, and then add elements if needed.

Have fun with your project! :-)

Marilyn