I have artemesia in the rose bed at the church and hate it. Rabbits don't eat it but the roots are invasive and it grows right over the top of the rose bushes. My preference in rose beds is other roses but I use society garlic to repel aphids, sweet white allysium to repel rabbits and look attractive, munstead lavender outside the rose beds to look attractive and use run-off water and food from the roses. There's clematis planted amongst the roses to hide some corners and fence but, except for mulching it really good and making sure it gets water, it has to live on whatever run off food it gets. Some herbs planted among the roses help to repel various pests. Instead of thinking more about a 'mixed border', look at what can be planted to ward off or attract pests, birds, etc. It's cheaper, more attractive and environmentally conscious than chemical control, too. You'll need to look at their mature size, water and nutrient requirements and determine how much time and space you want to devote to them.

I think bordering the quilt would give it a finished appearance. Since you have color running right to the edge, another option would be to have a white-on-white border the same width and fabric as the sashing and then a binding of one of the bright colors. This wouldn't add very much in size, but would frame the quilt. It is an adorable quilt, by the way. Very beautifully done.

@pingpong: "Does anyone have anecdotal ..." I'm an engineer - not a civil engineer - but I will reiterate what others have told you: The driveway fails because the foundation (class 5 limestone - probably) is failing - due to movement of the earth. Each time the foundation moves - it creates more space for it to move again. Also water seeps into the cracks and errodes the foundation more. This is a fact of nature. If you put a layer of asphalt over the current - you will still have the same foundation. Those cracks will eventually telegraph through the new asphalt. How long it will take? There is no textbook answer. To do it properly, the driveway needs to be removed and the foundation needs to replaced / compacted. As far a concrete cracking... that's why they cut the concrete - to control the stress cracks. It seems like you want a 'magic bullet' answer?

"Do the Russians easily accept Middle Eastern refugees into their country?" Not really. That's why most ME refugees enter Russia only to transit to Northern Europe. With the refugees, the public expectation is that if they want to be accepted, they must be able to speak Russian and abide by the Russian customs and ways of life. As an English proverb says, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." At the same time, it's estimated that about 3-4M of Ukrainian residents live in Russia now. Many of then immigrated to Russia as a result of the disaster in Ukraine. Some registered as refugees, but many prefer to call on their relatives and friends in Russia. I'm part Ukrainian and have (or more exactly had) an extended family living in Central and Eastern Ukraine. Now every Ukrainian relative I know has moved either to Russia or Belarus. Of course, it's much easier for the Ukrainians to integrate in Russia since they speak the language and share the same culture. Also, we have lots and lots of immigrants from Central Asia. Although they're mostly Muslim, they are more secular, speak the language and are able to navigate the culture, too. In 2015 Bloomberg published an article on immigration to Russia