It depends on the gardens.
We had a townhouse in the French Quarter and the ‘gardens’ were about as limited as you can get. Think 18inch deep beds bounded by stone and bricks.
One of our most successful plants was a ginger that suckered blissfully and filled its space with great elegance.
One of our neighbors had a Lady Banksia growing from a similarly limited space (I expect it’s roots didn’t honor property lines) and she depended on new shoots for it to regenerate itself.
For all the spaces between sidewalks and streest, for the limited depth borders between driveways and houses, roses that tolerate less than perfect conditions (and alkalinity coming from the cement) as well as heat and dryness might be the solution for folks who want low upkeep plants.