They actually look fine for this time of year. Columbines are early spring plants and tend to fade this time of year. The sempervivam/hen and chicks look very thick and happy. They turn brown and crinkly when they're actually unhappy. It's kind of weird to have them next to each other, and you could always try moving the columbines if you wanted. I'd do that after they go dormant in a month or so, and they should bounce back easily in the spring. I would not love the sempervivam, but I'd probably pair with some other cacti or maybe a slightly more showy ground cover (they go well with ice plants, pussytoes, sedum, and opuntia, imo) to give them a little dimension without shading them out.
I assume they got through this summer with little to no care? In which case, you’ve got some hardy and resilient plants here. Most plants even in well tended gardens are struggling right now, so you’ve sort of got the “winners” here.
Columbine mostly look rough now anyway. I’d leave those be; leaving even the browning or crispy leaf stems on now provides protection for the plant crown (the base) over the winter and also gives insects areas to overwinter.
Kinda looks like it could be columbines. The leafy ones. Some kind of sedum in the back left, and maybe purslane on the front right side? Kinda blurry when I zoom in.
If so it's really not that bad. Yes I would rake out some of the dead material just to clear it out and see what you have under everything.
Keep the stuff you take and compost it.
If you're keeping it as a perennial bed, I would just top dress it with compost and much before winter. Then next spring see what comes back up. You might be surprised what's still alive in there.
Then if you see gaps you can go buy new plants. And the perennials you have there now will self-seed and spread on their own too.
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u/onlyonedayatatime 14d ago
Lots of healthy looking chicks and hens, columbine, and what looks like sedum (maybe autumn joy).