Flower bed by front porch

I've spent quite a bit of time this year trying to get the flower bed by the front porch in shape.  I remember a neighbor once commenting, "The grass is about to take that!"  If you're ever tempted to say that, please remember the person you're saying it to most likely is already acutely aware of that. 
Last year the bed took a hard hit by the hailstorm and by the old shingles that had to come off when the roof was repaired.  I noticed that last year there was ONE bud on the pinks.  I was looking forward to at least seeing that ONE bloom, but, alas, it was wrecked by the extension cord the roofers were using.  (They really did try to watch out for things, but despite their best efforts, they managed to get that one little bud.)  This year, the pinks fared much better.  These are the pinks I obtained over 15 years ago from a Mrs. Dickerson, who was a customer on my paper route.  (All the following are pics I prevailed upon my son to take.)

 

The Siberian irises did well this year, too.  I call this the "plant that went to the zoo."  Many years ago, my brother gave a division of the irises to my parents to give to me.  When my parents and I met for a day at the Asheboro, NC Zoo, they set the division of the irises on the grass in the shade of the car.  My dad wrote a note on them explaining what they were lest a maintenance worker mistake them for trash.  After our day at the zoo, I brought them home with me.  They are growing out of bounds in front of the porch.

 



When I weeded, I intentionally left the little wildflowers called Venus' looking glass.  I am enjoying watching them bloom amongst the rose and iris foliage.

 

My phlox 'Robert Poore,' which sits at the corner of this flower bed isn't in bloom yet, but the foliage is looking healthier than it ever has before.  Of the variables in caring for the plant, I'm not sure which or which combination I should attribute the improvement to:  I pulled out the competing weeds and Bermuda grass, I added a generous portion of compost, I added an application of triple super phosphate, I added a very light layer of pine park mulch, and we have gotten ample rain this spring.  I'm looking forward to seeing some nice blooms on that phlox this summer.

That's the update on the bed by the porch.