For fast you need a fence. For evergreen trees (or shrubs - you don't say what amount of height you want) in a cold climate you are talking mostly coniferous evergreens like arborvitae, juniper or yew. Speedy growth is not usually a part of what these offer. In suitable climates with suitable exposures the classic quality hedges are yew, holly and box. These are all dense and dignified but take many years to develop.

If that part of the bed is mostly in shade I suggest Dogwood. There are some lovely variagated varieties. They grow about 5 feet tall at maturity and thrive in full shade to part shade. I have a couple in my shady north facing front flower bed and they are almost at maturity. They have white and green tipped leaves and small white flowers in spring. The flowers are insignificant though. It is the leaves that give a bright background to the flowers. Some have red bark that lends winter interest Cedar does fine in part shade and Yew does well in full shade and part shade. As for flowers I recommend Stelka De'oro daylily. It is a reblooming daylily It gives a big flush of bright yellow flowers in June-July and if you trim the flower stalks to below the leaves after they're finished flowering they will send up more flowers. I also recommend bleeding heart luxuriant. It has lovely pink flowers that last from spring until fall if given enough moisture to withstand the hot dry conditions of mid summer

Since we're in similar zones I'll share my experiences with the ones you mention with some photos, and some additional suggestions. I agree with all the previous posters that you'll have to be careful how big the roses get in our zones to make sure they'd be happy in pots. A huge Austin like Teasing Georgia or The Generous Gardener or Scepter'd Isle just wouldn't be happy in those conditions in my opinion. For hardiness, I've found all the Austins to overwinter and thrive well in my zone, and since you're a zone warmer that should be fine. I've got both grafted and own root Austins and I don't particularly notice a difference across plants. They seem to like our dry summers as long as they get sufficient rain in between the spring and fall rains. Very double roses like most Austins tend to need more water than other less voluptuous roses, and in a pot that might be more of an issue to keep track of. I don't grow much of anything in pots, so I'm not much help there. I haven't grown Boscobel but I'm interested in trying it here. I agree that Graham Thomas and Pat Austin are fairly "meh" Austins - nice when they bloom but not frequent enough for my tastes. Abraham Darby has a reputation for getting huge so I put it at the back of the bed in a prominent spot. Like Lori, mine is still tiny, but it has part shade as well as an extra cold spot of the yard to contend with. Tamora is supposed to be the compact rose and better apricot bloomer, but in my yard they're next to each other and similar heights. In a better spot, it might get huge - I have a colleague here who has one that's the lynchpin of her front garden and drop dead gorgeous. Abe Darby (after a tough winter and pruned to the ground) - you can see the waist-high yew bush dwarfs poor Abe Carding Mill - I love the color and I have two of them, the following in the somewhat better sun condition. They bloom fine and regularly, but I think under better sun they'd want to get big. This one is topping a 5' fence and it's only June Darcy Bussell - I agree that this one is a keeper. It blooms steadily in less than optimal light and usually keeps the dark color except in very high heat. It seems to like the part shade and stays no more than knee high. The Prince is nearby and does fine, but Darcy is better. I have high hopes for a Munstead Wood that I planted this spring as another dark Austin. I do have to admit that I love the bloom shape of Wm Shakespeare 2000, but he doesn't bloom often enough for me even grafted in great sun. Lady of Shalott looks to be a keeper and great for a pot. So far she doesn't seem to have quite the number of petals of some of the other Austins, but she maintains her apricot color quite well even in the heat and she stays small. I agree with other posters that one of my best rebloomers is Molineux, and I love how the blooms will morph from yellow through apricot shades depending on the heat. He's a good 5' tall for me, and he MIGHT like a pot, but it might be pushing it. Compare this shot during the same period to the nearby Carding Mill above. Queen of Sweden really wants to be 6' or more in a good year. You can see her stretching up beyond the windows already in June last year. She's a narrow bloomer so she might do OK in a pot, but with that height she might be prone to tipping. She reblooms OK for me, but not as well as the nearby Scepter'd Isle. Pretty Jessica stays small and I like the blooms, but it has taken 3 or 4 years to see any on an own root plant. It would definitely fit a pot, as would Tamora or Charlotte (though I don't get much rebloom from any of those, though Harryshoe has a gorgeous photo of Tamora bushing out). Here's Pretty Jessica. My top recommendations for pots in Kansas would be for Darcy Bussell and Munstead Wood, Molineux if he'd handle a pot, and Sharifa Asma below. She stays reliably at a 3' rounded bush, blooms frequently, and the soft pink blooms have a swoon-worthy fragrance. I seek out her and Barcelona when I want a fragrance fix. Hope this helps! As for colors, the Austins seem to blend so well together in both shape and tone that I wouldn't worry too much about blending in. I might not put a dark pink next to an apricot immediately - perhaps a soft pink or yellow in between - but I think whatever will do well in your pots would be fine. Besides, you can always rearrange them if they're in pots and you change your mind. Have fun Cynthia

I vote the black or a slightly softer black paint colour. Classic and everything pops around it. Plants look beautiful and more lush against a black backdrop. Grey is ok, but I think it would look drab and not add anything special. White would look eventually look dingy and every time you water plants the dirt would splash up.