{{gwi:5582}}

Before anyone can recommend plants we have to know what zone you are in.

It would also help to know which way the house front faces.

Also, how much time to you want to spend on maintaining the plantings? Do you want gardening as a hobby or something easy care?

Well being that you have a black thumb I'd go with a pretty living ground cover (including the area you now have white rock) adding a few stepping stones leading to your fountain area. Remove the pots and get a pretty bench, or better yet a couple chairs and a small table, to place in front of your window so you can sit and enjoy the sound of the fountain. You might need to place some stepping stones between the house and the patio to stablize the chairs and table.
For added color without the worry of plants to keep alive how about using mosaic tile around the lower part of the fountain. You could even do a flower design using a crosstitch border pattern. Oh and make those stepping stones yourself with cut stained glass as the mosaic tile.

Here is a link that might be useful: Google Mosaic tile ideas

I love liriope. It's an excellent border plant and next to impossible to kill. It looks like you're in the south somewhere based on your house style, so you have some choices!

I used to live in S. Florida and had Croton and jasmine bushes along my walkway - both indestructible. But the Croton isn't freeze hardy so if your not in S. Florida or somewhere in zone 8 or 9, it might not work.

If you're in a colder climate, I would do the liriope as a border and knockout roses in a dark pink around the fountain. Space the roses about 2 feet apart and they'll fill in. The liriope I would space 10-12 inches apart. They also have lovely purple flowers. Another plant I use with my roses is Catmint - beautiful lavender flowers and they bloom forever. I cut mine back and they will bloom again, so you could do the liriope in the front and then do the roses with the catmint inbetween.

Whatever you do, don't plant privet in the ground. You'll never get rid of it.

What about mondo grass in that area with some stepping stones?

Beautiful space! I would take out the white gravel and plant liriope all around, using it as a groundcover. This will keep the focus on that beautiful fountain and will be super easy to maintain.

Put a climbing rose on the wall where the three hangings are now if you want a little more interest. And I would put jasmine going up the column on the right side, to be trained to go across the archway.

Be sure you post an after picture with the fountain running!

WOW! I come back and wonderful ideas!!! Thanks everyone! Whoever said the south hit it right on the head, I'm in zone 9b.
The front of my house faces northwest.
I was looking for something easy to care for but something I'll get results from with maybe 20-30 mins a day. Lets put it this way, I enjoy gardening but don't have a green thumb! (that's why someone said liriope)
I absolutely LOVE the mosaic tile idea! Should I just do a few stone patios in the front of the fountain?
I also LOVE the jasmine on the arch way idea BUT I would need to trim it 12 feet in the air, not sure how that's gonna work!?!?
I also thought about a bench but didn't want to take away from the fountain and draw your eye to too many "main things".
Thanks everyone for all your suggestions and taking the time to post! I'd LOVE to hear more or feedback on what I said :)

UPDATE:
I painted my front door a mahogany and LOVE the color. I love it even more with it on :) I just have to figure out how to get rid of the streaks!!! They are driving me crazy. I sanded and used a foam brush. I trimmed down the pentas on the right, hoping it'll fill in the whole in the middle. I removed the topiaries (the big brush in front of the columns) chuked them. I was hoping to save them to put in the brown pots for each side of the garage BUT once I chopped them down small they had some kind of disease so I chucked them. Obviously, painted my front door. I also took up all the rock around the fountain. I'm not sure that it was a good idea since I thought I was gonna put mulch down but now think it might clash with the front door. Anyways, how do you like it so far?? Any more ideas? I am going to put pots around the fountain but hoping to find them cheaper than $20 each!! Criticism or cheers are welcomed :)

{{gwi:42358}}

How about a low boxwood hedge around the arch and against the garage wall , kept very square and low.
I would recommend you put down a membrane before laying the groundcover, be it mulch or rocks , it will keep the weeds from popping up. There is often oversplash from a fountain, the soil stays wet.
Could you remove a row of tiles in the area of the fountain that faces us ; the proportion of fountain vs groundcover would be better, imo....

mommyofiii, the door looks great! It really makes a difference in whoe front of your home. I wouldn't worry about the streaks just yet.they may disappear once it's completely dry.
As for nice looking but less expensive pots check Dollar General if you have them in your area. I bought all of the post below there. All were ten dollars or under, if I remember correctly and can be painted with craft paints or sprayed. The only one I painted here was the box one. I was very ill that summer and just planting wore me out or I would have painted more of them.
{{!gwi}}