Wish I knew more about Texas landscaping. Star Jasmine thrives in full sun here in Oregon. No idea about your area. I just bought a Zephirine Drouhin Rose from Heirloom Roses. You might want to check out their website, it is a wealth of information. Ants go wherever they want to. I stopped worrying about ants a long time ago. I would put a climber across the garage and over the entrance in a heart beat. If you want to draw more attention to your entrance, you could repaint the doors and walls in contrasting colors. You could put outdoor art on the walls. A little iron garden gate would add charm. Without a better picture, it is hard to make more suggestions, but there are ways of down playing the garage and up playing your entrance, which is sounds like might interest you.
Dad always said, if you can't hide it, flaunt it. You could paint the garage door in such a way folks saw the art and not the garage doors.
