How do you choose?

What I look for in ornamentals:

• Is it attractive to bees? Without pollinators, some of my veg will struggle to fruit, so the more the merrier!
  
• Is it scented, and if so, do I like the scent? There's nothing lovelier than the scent of roses or honeysuckle on a June evening breeze, but I find jasmine a bit sickly
  
• Is it available in purple/pink/white? I'm not so keen on 'warm' colours, though I'll make an exception for workhorse companions like marigolds
  
• Is it native, or at least a selected breed of a native species? (More likely to support wildlife)
  
• Will it fill a gap, either physical or seasonal? It's always good to extend the flowering season, to help early/late insects, and ornamentals are a good choice for shadier spots where veg won't flourish
  

Hence my garden (current/planned) contains a lot of traditional ornamentals like roses, honeysuckle, clematis, sweet peas, hardy geraniums, salvias, tulips and crocuses. Some might find it boring and predictable, but I know what I like!