The Circle and Rock Border

I wanted a central focus like this.

These were the inspiration ideas I had for the open area I created when the Spanish broom was taken out in late 2021. 

I wanted a circle with an upright hardscape element in the center and small but lush plants around its base. 

I used the birdbath to start for my central item, but then switched to a shallow white bowl in the center.

Then I wanted lots of spiky upright plants with lots of texture and color differences in an outer ring.

Kind of the idea.

I also wanted a moss rock rough chunky border, but I didn't have enough room to create the big outline of rocks defining the circle as this photo showed. But I wanted the elements.

I thought I could create a border that would nestle into the strip between the mulched new area and the bit of gravel lining the walkway, with plants spilling over them.

I thought I might have it look something like the richly planted rock border in this photo below -- plants not only behind the rocks, but in front of the rocks and tumbling over them.

Wow.

That hasn't happened. So far my rock border is just a bare line of stones. 

The stone border element is there, but not integrated into the design.

I like the design, but when Jeronimo installed the new garden he didn't add much soil, so the planting area is sunk below the rocks a bit, not rising up behind them. 

Newly installed.

It's hard to create a draping effect with any plants when they are sitting below the border of rocks. And I haven't really added anything that could tumble around the rocks. My plants are arranged in a circle away from the border.

This line of single stones needs something.

I am in the process of adding more upright perennials behind the stiff little circle (and I simplified the center to be just a carpet of thyme and a white bowl), but I also need to jam some low growing things along the edge of the rocks. At least in places.

The outer ring of plants haven't taken off yet. I'm planning more.

And I can do that. 

There are several pockets between stones 

I can add a couple handfuls of compost and dirt in the tiny spaces and let the creeping plants grow over and around the moss rocks and out into the gravel (just a bit . .  the gravel area is not big and I may have to keep after creepers that overtake).

I'm still waiting for things to grow in the circle and fill in. At the front edge near the rocks I have a Little Lemon goldenrod on one side and a low pineleaf penstemon on the other.

The idea was to have those plants spread out over the rocks and I still hope they will some day.

But adding creepers to the rock border in some spots will help the more upright plants tie together with the border and perhaps look more natural. Here are three I could easily plant in pockets around the stones:

I have the blue spruce sedum and can plant cuttings, I can get Angelina sedum from HCG.
The blue woolly veronica is also from HCG (and I need to add one to driveway strip).

This beautiful photo below shows more depth to the rock border -- several rocks more randomly scattered together rather than just a line of single stones. But can I get the same effect?

Can I do this? Or something similar?