I’m curious about your choice of red lava rock. Do you live in a desert-like climate (Arizona, for example) where red rock will look natural?

The pots in your second picture are lovely. They would have more impact arranged together rather than dropped randomly in a bed.

We live in WVa. I like using lava rock, as it doesn’t break down quickly. Goes with our red brick.

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The terracotta pots are good with red lava. The design work is less stark than the first group. I see them more towards where a garden bed comes up to a patio then at the far corner or spaced along the pictured bed.

It’s spring, and my perennials are just coming up so it looks bare. I set my current pots there, to try and visualize area with containers. The mushrooms can be moved. I’ve found a 30 year landscape material that’s held up quite well.

The point about landscape fabric is that it's bad for the soil and bad for the plants. And God help you if you ever have to move/replace a plant.

Add a stone or brick border, a few stepping stones and boulders for interest. Large terracotta pots grouped or placed strategically.

I tried to recreate your rock garden in AI and for some reason it placed it in a corner.

What laceyvail said. Not a good climate or landscape for lava rock. It’s not a good “ mulch “ or weed barrier. The point is that most gardens especially those established on a typical lot, don’t need as much blocking at what comes up from below, as dealing with bird- and air-borne seeds, occasional dead or unhappy plants, improving the soil a bit each year by top dressing or adding new plants . All very hard to impossible with landscape fabric & rock mulch.
Read more about no landscape fabric. Read more about using more dense plantings, including some shorter ones that spread out a bit over time, all of which helps block weeds. — if you are already combining perennials, evergreens you are off to a good start and would learn more about what does well in your spot ( climate and sun conditions). Then use some wood or bark mulch for weed control , more at first but less each year as plants spread.

You can still use containers selectively, for interest & architecture. I find that in some garden beds, lower bowl- shaped planters look more grounded, alone or either a taller container. For terracotta, it can be a problem if you have winter freezes. Or get ones that are shaped to hold a plastic grow- pot insert.

Thank you for the explanation. I find it helpful in planning.

Good point about mulch instead of the lava rock and weed fabric. The mulch will naturally decay and add nutrients and is easily topped with a light fresh layer about once a year.

Here are ideas for your garden bed with red decorative bark mulch instead. Orange daylilies and creeping Thyme added.

Remove any weed block cloth.

Cardboard will smother any weeds under it.

No colored mulch though! Not to my eye anyway.

No, please no coloured mulch. It's so unnatural and tacky. And I still think it needs denser planting. I can't see any perennials emerging in the large empty spaces. Perennials can't come up through landscape fabric. And I'd do a sharp slit edge rather than rocks which are difficult to mow up to and weed.

If the OP likes the look, why not? First you say no lava rock and now no red mulch. It's their house, what do you care? I don't think my renderings are tacky and it's the look they want.

Of course the OP can do as they wish. You're absolutely right ... it's their garden. And of course you don't think your renderings look tacky. But I am as entitled to give an opinion as you are and my opinion is that artificially coloured soil coverings are unpleasant to look at.

And I will jump in to support floral’s taste here. The OP asked for advice in a landscape design forum. Our honest opinion - shared widely by professionals and maater gardeners - is that fake mulch and decorative borders are an abomination. Now I can be charmed by tackiness if done well. Pulling it off requires more skill than a naturalistic garden. See Lotusland in California for an example.

There is a fine line between charming and tacky, true.

I admit I am fond of quirky, charming, unique and different decor that reflects the owner's personality and taste, even if not created to please the majority, nor fit for the pages of a magazine.

The only exception is marketing property for sale. Then it all has to go. But I also appreciate minimalism... whatever that's worth.

Thanks for turning me on to Lotusland...I want to visit there next time we are in Socal.

Update: I Finished it with red lava rock. My raspberries did production was great but grapes were disappointing

Looks good. The rock is not as red as I feared, you skipped the containers and removed some of the knick knacks and there's denser planting. But is there fabric under the mulch?

And can you eliminate the one gratuitous squiggle?

That looks great! In usually not a fan of red mulch but it works:)

It’s red lava rock …. Kind of a brownish red. Underneath is large cardboard pieces covered by heavy fabric that has held up 10 years. Te regular landscape fabric didn’t work well in past. The raspberries (sguiggles) looks out of place , but they taste good. 😊

Looks pretty! Could you move the outline of the bed outward in the back (beyond the dark red maple), to eliminate the squiggles? Since most of the plant forms are rounded, it might make a nice contrast to add something pointy, such as iris or daylilies.