Mulching and "ground cover" are rather conflicting propositions. Ground covers may keep the soil moister during hot weather...IF they aren't so massively rooted they rob all the nutrients and water from the soil. I use the petty spurge weed here as a "ground cover" because it self seeds all over; grows extremely vigorously; pulls easily when and where it isn't wanted; is toxic and gets tall enough to shade new, tender growth from too hot sun and hides it from the blamed "bunnies" who LOVE to eat the basals. The seeds exist in the soil naturally; they blow in on the wind and hitch hike on animals (and people) wandering through. It grows readily in any kind of mulch I put down and knocks itself off in late summer, when it's usually time to renew the mulch, by rusting. Then, I either bury it under new shredded stuff or pull it up and toss it on the weed piles in the paths to break down and keep me from stepping in mud after I water. It isn't "pretty" some of the time but it survives and does the trick. And, it costs me NOTHING. If you have a nice, dense, thick ground cover and you want to mulch, not only to conserve moisture but to add more organics to the soil as they digest, break down, you either have to pull up the ground cover or bury it. Something annual, like the alyssum, you can simply shake the removed plants over the areas you wish to inoculate with the seeds and it takes care of itself for you. Thyme would either be buried or you would have to replant it. Don't mess with the more invasive herbs such as oregano. That stuff is like a smelly Bermuda Grass. It escaped from one of my raised terraces where I had planted it for cooking and is as much a pest as the Matilija Poppy which escaped from a container I didn't get planted soon enough. Now, that monster is running all over and is due for some herbicide very shortly.. You also have to keep in mind that if you plant anything around or in your rose beds you may want to eat, any and everything you use on your roses will also be in or on what you intend to eat. I had a customer once who grew strawberries as the ground cover under her roses. She complained how oddly they tasted, never thinking the Bayer Systemic and other things she sprayed the roses with were in and on the berries. Some people just don't have a clue about these things. Another, years ago, complained how the Chrysler Imperial rose we sold here in the US wasn't the same she had grown in Israel where she previously lived. There, the petals added the rose water taste and scent to her cooking she enjoyed. Here, they were bitter tasting. I asked her if she was using systemics on the rose. Yup. Whatever you use for the roses will be in the rest of the plants, too. Kim This post was edited by roseseek on Sun, Mar 9, 14 at 16:40

what about trachelospermum jasminoides? Here it is called (I translate literally) "fake jasmin" because it really looks like jasmin. But contrary to jasmin it is hardy, tough, drought tolerant and imune to diseases. It is evergreen, it blooms in summer and is VERY scented. Sometimes it gets a few months before starting to grow, but then it starts. A very easy plant. You can find a picture here (from google): Here is a link that might be useful:

I grow cannas specifically because the hummingbirds like them, so I grow hummingbird favorites along with them too. And mine are in pots also (and I never thought about them breaking the pot, now I'm scared!). I usually have zinnias, terra cotta million bells, white annual phlox, blue salvia for contrast - mostly hot colors with a little blue. This isn't a great picture, but might show you how they look (the cannas weren't blooming yet). Ann

From what I can see it looks as though this can be saved with some gentle surgery. You want to cut back with a sterile knife to clean white healthy tissue, and hopefully that leaves you a good 8 inches or more of cutting left. Once I've gently and carefully sliced my cutting back to healthy tissue, I sterilize my blade and make a final clean cut preserving as much of the cutting as I can. (You might want to post a pic of your final cut to let the pros here tell you if it's ok). Let your cutting dry for 2 weeks as usual, and plant with root stimulator as you normally do. I usually plant my cuttings 3-4" deep but have no luck unless I have about 5" cutting above the soil level. Best wishes to you! Nancy