Bill,

There's no perfect irrigation system for flower beds, which are much harder to find a successful method for than are lawns. The Hunter brand has a top reputation, but any permanently installed system in a flower bed, which has a dynamics of, 'what was good today is not so good over the years because we: move plants, they grow larger, they die and need to be replaced, etc......' Flower beds are always changing. You need an automatic irrigation system that changes with these dynamics.

I would look into the 'next generation,' soaker hoses. They are inexpensive compared to an installed system, can be laid out and moved at will to meet changing needs, and when covered with mulch they are unobtrusive.

The trouble with the sprayer head installed system is that foliage gets sprayed, which unless you are growing roses that have superior, excellent, and proven to be so, black spot resistance, regularly moistened leaves become a disease nightmare. Grow only A.R.T.S., A.G.R.S., or A.D.R. awarded through rigorous trial roses, and an installed watering system will do fine from the standpoint of rose diseases.

Bill Rader of Knock Out fame, developed his black spot/general fungus resistant roses by grinding up diseased rose foliage and spreading it through all his seedling roses. Those that throve went on to the next steps in his trial program.

Encouraging rose disease with regularly drenching their foliage wiyh water using a sprinkler system is not advised.

Moses.