Thanks! When do you usually start your seeds? Is it too late?

I've never grown nasturtiums. I'll give them a try too.

You can start them now, last season I grew a compact variety in peach and pink colors, this picture is from March of another year.

Silvia

I started some Sweet alyssum from seeds last year and I have a patch that has stayed the whole year! It is small compared to winter/spring, but it is still alive.

I start my alyssum from seed in early March. It does great until the really hot weather hits and then it dies away.

I have 1 side of the bed dug, amended and 3 roses planted, the cool breeze is helpful but frequent breaks are required! Fortunately the other side is a little shorter and has two roses going in.

I think I have some seed packages on hand. I am planning on planting the society garlic and the seeds tomorrow AM if I can move!

I havent heard of nepeta/catnip growing here due to heat so i dont think it'd be a nice long lasting ground cover unfortunately but you might as well try it out if it's cheap/from seed
As for what goes with the rose: Are we talking a lighter/softer pink? (I'm assuming a paler pink because that is more common for a rose than a hot pink). If so, I think pale yellows and blues would go well with pink.

Something like these (you probably are already familiar but that's a pale yellow dwarf lantana.. also a weed dayflower but i like it with the lantana so i dont pull it up there lol)

I think something with thin leaves and an airy appearance would complement the roses, something easy like Gaura (get a taller variety if you're pairing it with a groundcover).

Other low-growers I have experience with:

• Dwarf
  morning glory 'Blue Daze' (not a true morning glory, does not seed
  everywhere). Greyish tint to leaves. Easy to find for sale. Probably
  easy to propagate via division but I haven't tried it.
• Creeping
  Rosemary. Downside with this is that you'd have to buy a bunch since
  they don't really spread and aren't realistically obtained via seed.
• False Heather. Also commonly available. I haven't seen it spread before.
• Evergreen thyme species. I have seen lemon thyme specifically used as a groundcover here
• Strawberries. Evergreen in this zone and
  (obviously) useful. I actually find them quite ornamental with their
  dark green toothed leaves.
• Verbena (various species), similar to lantana.

Possibles:

• 'Nana' coreopsis (no experience with this, i'm trying it next year)
• Roman
  chamomille (flowers less than the annual German kind) I have a few of
  these and they are low-growing and might be evergreen so there's
  groundcover potential
• White-veined pipevine. I'm trying this one out, they're a host plant for the Pipevine swallowtail and officially are part shade plants but I've heard they're pretty adaptable so I'm testing them. Not a climber unlike relatives.
• Aaand Sweet potato is not suited for growing around roses imo (due to their need for air flow and it's rampant growth, it doesn't climb but it does crowd around the crowns of plants rapidly) but it's a good filler groundcover otherwise especially in areas you trample quite a bit, such as round a hose. Plus, you can cook the young leaves like spinach so even the ornamental varieties are useful

Also Sweet Alyssum is very cute-looking, though! I might have to try it next fall c:

Yes, light-med pink (Summer Romance). These are great ideas. Thank you for the suggestions.

I grew coreopsis in NC and loved it. Blue Daze is very pretty and seems readily available -that would be a really nice ground cover. I never would have thought of strawberries. It's such a charming plant.

I have lantana growing behind it on the other side of the fence.

THANKS!! For the info on thyme. I love herbs with roses but for some reason I didn't think thyme would grow well here. I love Rosemary with roses too. I have a regular one but a prostrate Rosemary is a great thought. I bet I could get some cuttings to take if I need to

Sweet alyssum is fragrant too. I wish we could grow Candytuft here.

No problem ! glad i could help

If you can't get the thyme to work (though I see no reason why not since I know people who do grow it) there is a native plant, Dotted Horsemint Monarda punctata that has leaves which contain thymol and is edible/can be used as a herb (it's a relative of bee balm). I find the flowers very unique. There's a short cultivar called 'Beebop' that I'm currently trying out and there's mature wild-type specimens cultivated in parking lot strips of a local college so I think it's reasonably hardy/easy. Just thought I'd mention it because I find them pretty neat

One last thing: since you're into herbs you also might want to look into 'Phenomenal' Lavender. It's been performing well for me (and it's an English+French lavender hybrid, NOT a Spanish lavender) which I'm happy about because before this cultivar I was told lavenders simply cannot work in Florida.

(I got the lavender from Santa Rosa Gardens online since I haven't seen it offered locally)

Oh the lavender sounds lovely! That was another one I thought was out. We have the wild dotted horsemint in a natural area and I went to try to collect a few seeds but it wasn't late enough. I think I would rather have a short variety. I'll look those two varieties up.

The coreopsis I have grown in the past but when looking I saw a dark pink/reddish & white version. I think that us going in my list with the yellow coreopsis. I have grown chamomile and echinacea in another area but those would be good too. I have a Rosemary plant currently but it needs a new location so I may transplant it but I expect it will get huge here!

Well... I no longer have it, hubby ran it over with the lawn mower! To survive a whole year in the Florida heat and bugs only to be ran over! Lol

Happens in my yard alll the time. That or the weedwackerr!