72 Great Companion Plants for Roses

Sharing is caring!

Did you know that you can boost your garden’s ornamental look and overall health by pairing companion plants for roses with beautiful woody perennials? Adding the right companions for roses offers benefits that go beyond physically beautifying the garden.

The best way to enhance any rose garden is to pair it with varying floral and plant shapes, patterns, colors, textures, and fragrances.  Choosing other good companion plants can also boost pest control properties, prevent common rose diseases, and promote pollination. Moreover, other excellent companions for roses even provide the much needed soil enrichment for these heavy feeder florals.

We’ve shared a full list of the best companion plants for roses you can add to your garden. With this list, you can pick the right companion based on your needs – whether adding interest to your summer cottage or enriching the poor soil quality.

Why Pair Roses with Companion Plants?

Pairing roses with companion plants offer multiple benefits to your garden, including pest control, soil improvement, disease prevention, and weather protection, to name a few.

Here’s how companion plants can help deliver these incredible advantages;

• Pest control: A good number of rose companion plants such as members of the alliums, like garlic, or herbs, like oregano, help roses fend off pests. Roses can fall susceptible to aphids, larvae, Japanese beetles, and spider mites, to name a few. So, choosing the right plants can help repel these pests through their strong aromas, by attracting predatory insects, or even interrupting their egg-laying activities.
• Soil improvement: Many low-growing and ground-covering companion plants for roses double as living mulch. This helps to improve soil moisture retention, boost drainage, support soil microorganisms, and even promote nutrient availability. The living mulch also helps to outgrow and reduce weed growth significantly.
• Disease prevention: Other rose companion plants help to prevent diseases. These include plants that boast antifungal and antimicrobial properties, helping to prevent microbial and fungi activity around or near the roses.
• Weather protection: Some companion plants provide shade and shelter for rose roots during extreme weather conditions, like heavy winds or cold.

What Are The Best Companion Plants for Roses?

The best companion plants for roses include some of its fellow woody annuals, herbaceous flowering plants, flowering ground cover, ornamental grass, and herbs, among others. Companion plants for roses are grouped based on their benefits – including adding interest, pest control, disease prevention, and providing natural mulch, to name a few.

In fact, you can take advantage of these categories when choosing the ideal companions for your garden. You can examine which annuals and perennials to pair with the roses for interest by looking at their shape, size, texture, and color.

For instance, tall flowering plants pair well with rose blossoms while the leaf foliage of perennials or shrubs accentuate them better. You can also choose compatible annuals and perennials to pair with roses based on their blooming period – they can be grown side by side or successive.

On the other hand, you can also choose companion plants based on how they solve problems for your roses. For instance, catmint produces blossoms that complement roses while protecting their delicate disease-prone foliage. 

Ornamental flowers, such as alliums, boast strong pungent aromas that repel pests from roses. Some gardeners also pick companion plants for these woody perennials due to their shared growing conditions. A good example of these companions includes lantana, petunia, and verbena.

Roses are sun-loving flowering plants that thrive in pretty much any USDA hardiness zone (depending on the variety). They also love fertile and well-draining soil with a pH of at least 6.5. Roses are also heavy feeders, requiring a lot of nutrients but low soil nitrogen. When choosing the best companion plants, you have to always keep these conditions in mind.

Tips for Growing Roses with their Companion Plants

• Choose plants that can survive similar conditions as roses without competing for resources (roses are heavy feeders, requiring a lot of nutrients, water, and sunlight). When adding fertilizer, add enough to suffice the roses and companion plants.
• Avoid large plants and plants with deep root systems that can easily overcrowd roses
• Add plants that don’t interfere with the adequate air circulation roses need, especially in humid conditions. Roses require proper air circulation to protect them against fungal diseases, such as powdery mildew and black spot. If you are in settings with higher risks of fungal disease, always opt for low-growing companion plants.
• Grow companion plants at least 12 inches away from the base of your rose plants to prevent overcrowding and to allow for easy watering and fertilizing ( water should never touch the leaves of your rose plants).
• If your garden is prone to pests, add natural pest-repelling companion plants for more natural, chemical-free pest control measures.

72 Compatible Plants to Pair with Roses

Here’s a complete list of the best companion plants to pair with roses in your garden;

Fellow Woody Ornamental Flowers

1. Wall Flower

Not all woody flowering plants do well planted near roses. However, you can find a good number of options that will impress you. The perennial wall flowering is among the best flowers to pair with roses. These flowerings come in a range of shades, including white, red, pink, orange, yellow, white, purple, and blue.

Pairing these blossoms with equally colorful roses adds brilliant interest to your garden. Roses typically bloom from late spring through fall while wallflowers do so from spring to summer. However, their blossoms continue to bloom for the rest of the year – prolonging the overall interest period for your garden.

Tip: Keep deadheading the wall flowers to keep them in the best condition.

2. Daylilies

The low-maintenance daylilies complement roses when the two plants are paired side by side. The daylilies come in several varieties, including single, double, spider, and star-shaped petaled varieties. They also offer a wide range of color shades, including different yellow and red hues.

You can find anything from yellow to gold or scarlet, tomato-red, and blackish-red. Endemic to dry and hot climates, daylilies are an excellent companion for roses in these areas. This duo is also great at attracting a variety of pollinators, including bees and butterflies.

3. Clematis

Clematis with rose adds an interesting layer of texture, color, and shape contrast. To prevent over-saturating the look, stick to a single rose color as you allow the clematis to highlight its profusion of multiple colors.

These vines feature a spectacular mix of white, red, pink, violet, purple, blue, or bi-colored blossom varieties to choose from. Pick your combination of clematis colors and set them up as the backdrop against your rose plants, allowing them to climb on your fence or trellis.

Alternatively, you can pair clematis with climbing roses for a visually appealing floral variety contrast. This combination is perfect for a pergola or garden arbor.

4. Hardy Geraniums

Also known as cranesbills, hardy geraniums grow flowers that are opposite to their name. They develop delicate five-petaled and broadly circular-shaped flowers in pink, purple, blue, or white shades. The small delicate blossoms are accentuated by their dark green leaves which ooze off a gentle and light citrusy fragrance.

Yet, even as they grow these showy delicate blossoms, hardy geraniums do more than just complement roses. The hardy plants slowly grow in clumps over time, which in turn provides soil cover and promotes soil moisture retention. 

On the other hand, their light citrusy leaf foliage fragrance provides pest-repelling abilities, keeping insects, like mosquitoes, ticks, and aphids out of your garden. For a two-way growing benefit, plant the smaller shade-loving geraniums under the larger rose shrubs.

5. Penstemon

Also known as a bearded tongue, Penstemon grows showy tubed-shaped flowers in red, pink, orange, yellow, gold, or white shades loved by pollinators. This US-native plant is also drought-tolerant and thrives under sunlight.

The flower’s vivid colors do a great job of attracting beneficial insects, like ladybugs and wasps. Plus, its low maintenance makes the tough perennial perfect for gardening beginners.

6. Jasmine

Jasmine produces clean white blossoms with an intoxicating scent to make it among the best loved garden plants. It pairs incredibly well with roses to attract a heap of pollinators, including bees and butterflies. Planting these garden queens is a sure way to enjoy great interest in your garden.

7. Lilac

Lilac produces an almost magical deep-colored cluster of flowers that pair incredibly well with any rose shade. However, our personal favorite link up is the lilac with white or light pink roses or both. Lilac makes a superior border or edging plant for roses.

8. Wisteria

Wisteria is another magical-looking vine, growing to about 30 feet long with large drooping lilac or purple-blue flower clusters and shiny dark green leaves.  Their drooping nature gives them a surreal magical appearance.

This explains why both natural and artificial wisteria has become a popular décor for wedding reception. When paired with roses, you can guarantee a dramatic transformation in your garden. You can plant it as a shade cover or backdrop for your roses on any supporting structure, whether a pergola, fence or specially designed pillar.

9. Dahlia

Dahlias grow showy white yellow, red, or purple compounded and puffy flowers that offer a beautiful texture and pattern contrast to roses. In addition to their interesting blossoms, dahlias develop strong stems that come in handy for roses. These sweet-scented flowering plants offer a stable platform for roses to lean on while the two plants complement each other’s beauty.

10. Hibiscus

Hibiscus grows large conspicuous trumpet-shaped flowers in a variety of shades to blend well with roses. The heat-tolerant blossoms pair well with roses to prolong your garden’s interest. Roses typically bloom between late spring and early fall while hibiscus appear in mid-to-late summer, picking up the load well through fall.

11. Coneflowers

Commonly known as Echinacea, coneflowers grow vivid colored blossoms in red, orange, pink, purple, and white shades. These daisy-like flowers grow delicate petals with a cone-like center and offer a beautiful visual contrast to the fuller rose blossoms.

But, Echinacea isn’t only valuable for its ornamental value. They also improve the soil conditions. Their deep tap roots break up compacted soil to improve drainage while their showy blossoms attract a wide range of pollinators.

Herbaceous Ornamental Flowers

12. Peonies

A perfect cottage flower, peony grows big and flouncy flowers in pink, purple, white, yellow, and red shades. These fragrant blossoms complement the equally elegant roses to create a chic cottage-style garden with an extended blooming garden area – a truly amazing visual sight.

13. Cosmos

The tiny and delicate flowered cosmos can be planted under your roses to accentuate the bigger blooms while highlighting their delicate beauty as well. However, cosmos benefit roses way beyond their ornamental companionship. For best results, pair single-toned roses with a colorful mix of white, purple, pink, and burgundy cosmos.

You can plant cosmos as decoy plants, thanks to their ability to attract aphids. With the cosmos nearby, the potential aphids in the garden are easily redirected to these annuals. The only downside is you may lose some of the beautiful flowers from the aphid attack.

14. Bearded Iris

Bearded iris boasts a unique look, guaranteed to capture anyone’s attention. When paired with roses, these herbaceous flowering plants add a layer of visual sophistication to your garden. The best part is they come in a variety of colors to match your preferences.

15. Carnations

Also known as the clove pink or flower of the God, carnations develop crinkle-edged petals that form frilly flowers – less fluffy peony-like blossoms.  This round, layered, and somewhat ruffled appearance adds to their appeal and makes them excellent pairs for roses. For a versatile and lively garden, pair different rose shades and varieties, like spray and tea roses, with a colorful display of carnations.

16. Nasturtiums

Nasturtiums are perhaps one of the most common companions for roses. These brightly colored flowers feature a sweet scent and attractive round leaves that boost their ornamental value. You can also opt for the trailing or compact growing varieties for your pairing.

In addition to its beauty, nasturtiums come with several other benefits. First, it acts as a trap plant, attracting unwanted pests, such as aphids and squash bugs away from roses. Their sweet-scented flowers bear generous amounts of nectar and attract predators, such as ladybugs and wasps, which take care of the pest problem.

Moreover, nasturtiums accumulate calcium from the soil, making the mineral easily accessible to the rose for even better healthier growth. If you opt for the trailing nasturtium variety, you will also enjoy its mulch and weed barrier perks. Plus, you have an everlasting supply of edible flowers fresh from your garden!

17. Marigolds

Marigolds add as much value in flower gardens as they do in vegetable gardens growing as companion plants. These beautiful flowers come in bold yellow, orange, and red shades to bring life to your rose garden.

They also attract a reasonable amount of beneficial insects, like hoverflies, wasps, and ladybugs. They are particularly beneficial to roses as they take care of aphid problems. They also repel other unwanted pests, such as hornworms and nematodes.

In addition to using beneficial insects for pest control, these flowers emit a masking scent that repels bugs. Further, marigolds attract a fair amount of pollinators, including bees.

18. Yarrow

Yarrow grows tiny clusters of flowers in white, soft pastel, yellow, red, orange, or gold shades and offers an elegant edging or border to the larger rose flowers. Yarrow also has benefits for your rose garden, thanks to its attraction to predatory insects, like lacewings. This, in turn, allows the plant to naturally take care of pest problems in your garden.

To complement the efforts of predatory insects, yarrow leaf foliage also secretes a strong odor that repels some types of pests. On the other hand, yarrow also serves as a nutrient accumulator with its deep tap roots taking up calcium, potassium, magnesium, and copper.

These micronutrients are essential to roses and yarrow helps with their easy access. Additionally, the deep yarrow tap roots improve soil drainage by breaking up compacted soils.

19. Petunias

The prolific petunias blend their trumpet-shaped flowers effortlessly with elegant rose blossoms. These popular garden blossoms also produce bright green branching and hairy foliage that helps to accentuate the duo.

20. Cornflower

Sometimes known as Centaurea, cornflower develops distinctively blue-hued flowers to create a one-of-kind visual contrast with roses. These unique flowers also feature small halo-like fringes on their tiny thistles and a violet, pale pink or white center for beauty adding details.

In addition to complementing roses in the garden, cornflower or bachelor’s buttons also boast a high sugar nectar content that attracts beneficial insects, such as lacewings, ladybugs, and hoverflies.  This makes it easier for the insects to tackle any pests swarming your roses.

21. Black Eyed Susan

Part of the aster family, black-eyed Susan looks like smaller sunflowers and looks incredibly beautiful in mass plantings. These smaller and fast-growing flowering plants look amazing bordering larger roses or growing alongside the larger woody perennials to fill in surrounding gaps. Black-eyed peas also attract a host of pollinators, such as bees, butterflies, and birds to your garden.

22. Giant Hyssop

Also known as hummingbird mint or Agastache is a fragrant wildflower that grows spectacular purple and blue tall spikes of flowers. They offer great visual companionship growing among roses while also serving as a magnet for many pollinators. Giant hyssop also boasts a powerful anise-like scent, typical of plants in the mint family, which helps to repel deer and confuse rose-loving pests.

23. Lady’s Mantle

An excellent front border, the lady’s mantle is a favorite for traditional cottage gardens, producing elegant yellow blossoms that pair well with roses. As a border plant, the lady’s mantle perfectly covers the stems of tall roses, leaving behind an impeccable spectacle of colorful flowers in view. Lady’s mantle thrives in both sunny and shaded areas, giving you the freedom to plan your garden the way you want.

24. Gerbera Daisy

Gerbera daisy adds a vibrant pop of color to your garden. These classic daisy blossoms come in yellow, orange, red, pink, salmon, lavender, white, and bi-color shades. Growing from spring through summer, gerbera daisies add bright and playful interest to your rose garden.

25. Shasta Daisy

Like gerbera, the Shasta daisy blends well with roses in the garden. Shasta daisies develop white flowers with bright yellow centers, making them ideal for bolder-colored roses. You can plant them as front borders or among your roses.               

26. Snapdragons

As their name suggests, snapdragons grow snout-shaped flowers with multiple small spikes. They come in a variety of colors, including burgundy red, pink orange, yellow, bronze, white, and multi-colors. Combine snapdragons and roses in your garden for a magical colorful setting. The pair is also a favorite among pollinators.

27. Aster

Asters are a piece of art – resembling painted daisies with their outstanding pastel colors. These beautiful fall-colored blossoms come in a range of purple, blue, pink, and white with yellow centers. Their gorgeous look and rich nectar make them a favorite among butterflies and other pollinators.

Combining aster and roses doesn’t only boost the visual appeal of your garden. It also extends the blooming season and garden interest from March well into November.

28. Feverfew

Feverfew grows small delicate flowers that resemble daisies, with white petals and a much thicker yellow center. They are great when planted in front of roses or as fillers in the garden. They are also excellent pest repellents, particularly aphids.

29. Coreopsis

Commonly known as tickseed, coreopsis grows yellow and red bi-colored blossoms that attract a load of pollinators. This low-maintenance and sweet-scented plant also complements roses, creating a beautiful shape, color, and textural contrast similar to classic rose bouquets.

30. Phlox

Phlox is a classic summer border plant, producing beautiful pink, purple, or white and purple blossoms that bring life to your garden. You can also pair them with roses in bedding plants or large containers. Phlox is also a magnet for pollinators, such as bees and butterflies.

31. Pincushion Flower

Also known as scabiosa, pincushions are a welcomed addition to your rose beds. The plants grow delicately petaled flowers with a dramatic pattern for an interesting contrast to your roses. Since they are shorter than roses, they add a beautiful display of colors at the lower half of the flower beds.

32. Columbine

Also referred to as granny’s bonnet, the columbine grows pretty unique flowers. It develops white sepals paired with different petal shades, such as lavender, maroon, and blue. To get the best color contrast and depth in your garden, plant columbines with other flowering annuals and perennials, such as roses, peonies, irises, and alliums.

33. Larkspurs

Larkspurs or delphiniums grow beautiful large spikes of flowers, like Verbascum or giant hyssop, and pair well with roses. The plant offers its flowers in blue, purple, red, pink, and white shades. The spring-blooming flowers are also effective at curbing Japanese beetle control as it functions as a trap crop. They do so by using their showy blossoms to attract the beetles while their leaf foliage poisons them.

34. Pansy

A cultivated variety of viola, pansy grows bright yellow and maroon flowers with glossy leaf foliage and is a perfect front border plant for roses.

35. Great Masterwort

Also identified by its botanical name, Astrantia, great masterwort grows attractive pink, magenta, and purple flowers with tiny spikes at the center of its petals. These spikes are reminiscent of tiny fireworks, adding to their striking appeal.

These partial shade-loving perennials grow well under the larger roses and offer a pleasant contrast against the darker-colored roses. Great masterwort is also an effective trap crop for aphids while repelling slugs, snails, and deer.

36. Prairie Smoke

Native to northern America, prairie smoke grows delicate pink wispy seed heads and green ferny foliage that make great front borders for roses. Prairie smoke is also rich in nectar which helps it attract a variety of pollinators.

37. Viola

Viola or violets grow cute miniature flowers in blue, purple, and white shades that blend perfectly well against the much bigger roses. In fact, you can plant both of three viola shades for a brilliant garden interest. In addition to the amazing spectacle they offer. Roses and violas also do an impressive job of attracting pollinators.

Bulbiferous Ornamental Flowers

38. Tulips

Whether it’s early or late blooming tulips, these bulbiferous ornamental flowers never disappoint when paired with roses. Each standing out in its own exquisite way, this duo adds an aura of sophistication and style to any garden setting. You can underplant roses with a succession of tulips, allowing your garden to enjoy interest almost all year round.

39. Bellflowers

As their name suggests, bell flowers or campanula grow beautiful bell-shaped blossoms perfect for perennial borders. Roses and bell flowers blossom around the same time which is perfect for establishing their incredible look. These perennials intermingle artistically for a garden look.

40. Foxgloves

Also known as digitalis, foxgloves grow tall and look particularly great with roses. The duo is ideal for setting up interesting borders around the garden or on walkways. Available in a selection of shades, including pink, purple, and white, foxgloves also add a longer interest period in the garden. These flowers bloom in late summer, right when roses are about to fade.

41. Narcissi

Narcissi grows delicate conspicuous flowers with six petal-like sepals that form a cup or trumpet shape. Available in white, yellow, orange, or pink, these smaller spring bulbs accentuate roses. Yet, they stand out on their own.

42. Snowdrops

Mimicking elegant, minimalistic white bulbs, snowdrops create a clean and magical look in your garden. Pairing these spring bulbs with a single rose shade of choice adds the much-needed colorful life without eliminating the clean and tranquil garden look.

43. Hyacinth

Hyacinths are excellent bulbs to add to your rose garden for a much-needed color and pattern contrast. Available in a selection of white, pink, red, blue, and purple shades, these plants grow showy, thick flower clusters on tall spikes for a whimsical look. They also produce an intoxicating fragrance that many beneficial pollinators can’t ignore.

Ground Covering Flowering Plants

44. Lily of the Nile

Loved for its exquisite beauty and intoxicating fragrance, the lily of the Nile provides excellent ground cover for roses.  These warm climate flowering plants grow large spherical flower clusters in a funnel shape and are usually blue, purple, or white colored.

They also produce a beautiful lilac-like scent as their thick dark green sword-shaped leaves accentuate the blossoms. Simply plant these showy perennials around your rose plants to highlight the larger roses.

45. Lily of the Valley

Lily of the Valley offers excellent ornamental value when paired with roses.  The woody plant grows sweet-scented bell-shaped flowers that hang like pendants for a striking appearance. However, the ground covering ornamental flowers can aggressively spread when not tamed and mess up your rose’s root system.

But, with proper planting (leaving enough space to prevent (overcrowding), these showy ground-covering perennials don’t only complement your roses. They also protect your roses from fungal disease.

46. Baby’s Breath

You will typically notice the small white or pink flower clusters and equally small stems and leaf foliage of baby breath in many flower bouquets as they highlight the bigger blossoms in the bunch. Did you know that you can replicate this look in your garden with these low-growing floral gems?

Whether you go for white or pink flower clouds, the baby’s breath never disappoints. It works particularly great with bolder and darker rose shades like orange or red. You can also enjoy more interest like in bouquets by pairing the baby breath and roses with other prolific flowers, such as marigolds, salvia, and even peonies.

As a bonus, you can craft your gift flower bouquets from the comfort of your home.

47. Sedum

Commonly known as stonecrop, sedum grows as a low-maintenance and long blooming perennial succulent. It grows amazing pink, red, yellow, and white blossoms. With clump-forming blossoms and intricate leaf foliage, these low-growing plants accentuate your rose garden’s look. Sedum also acts as a living mulch, a pollinator magnet, and a trap crop for tackling unwanted pests.

48. Lamb’s Ear

Lamb’s ear is a sun-loving perennial that grows thick, fuzzy silver foliage adorned with soft velvety flower petals. Yet, this unusual plant resembles an evergreen plant with its silvery fuzzy foliage resembling a lamb’s ear.

The slow-spreading, low-growing plant offers an incredible ground cover for rose beds with its silver foliage creating a perfect contrast against the clean bold rose foliage. While lamb’s ear is susceptible to slugs, it repels a variety of other pests. The low-growing lamb’s ear is also an excellent living mulch.

49. Statice

Statice is an herbaceous perennial that grows thick but delicate clusters of tall flower stalks accentuated by their low mound foliage. You can plant these multi-colored blossoms as front borders for larger roses or grow the roses among them for superior multi-colored flower profusion. The low-growing nature of these plants also fills in gaps in the ground, allowing them to act as living mulch.

50. Verbascum

Also known as scallop leveled mullein, way leaf mullein, or candela regia, these perennial herbaceous plants grow tall flower stalks with elegant off-white, yellow, purple, and peachy orange shades.

When planted with roses, their tall spires offer a beautiful visual contrast. This duo also allows you to enjoy a longer blooming period with the Verbascum blooming before roses appear.

51. Crocus

The low-growing crocus produces early spring or fall cup-like blossoms with purple petals and bright orange centers. While they provide a showy ground cover for roses, crocus spring bulbs can also beautify your garden by pairing them with roses and other spring bulbs. Think – bulbiferous ornamentals such as tulips, hyacinths, and snowdrops, to name a few.

52. Verbena

Verbena is what you pair with roses for a bouquet-like garden setting. These tall perennials produce small flower clusters in purple, pink, red, or white shades supported by long, arching stems. Paired with the larger roses, they add color and texture. Their flowers are also effective at attracting beneficial insects, such as bees and butterflies.

Lantana is an excellent example of verbena. These multi-colored flowering plants offer great ground cover for roses, filling up unwanted gaps. Their colorful small blossoms also blend perfectly with the larger bolder colored roses.

53. Alyssum

Also known as sweet alyssum, the low-growing alyssum grows beautiful soft-colored flower clusters that grow into a magical carpet. So, when planted with roses, they offer a uniquely exquisite flowering ground cover.

While they survive hot climates, they don’t particularly love the sun. So, they do well in partially shaded areas. Planting them with thick rose bushes also helps. Alyssums also boast a sweet scent that adds interest to your garden.

54. Sweet Woodruff

In addition to their tiny white flowers and short green leaves, the creeping, mat-forming woodruff boasts a powerful scent that comes in handy. When paired with roses, these amazing ground-covering companions act as natural pests and insect repellents, driving away the likes of aphids from your garden.

Evergreen Shrubs

55. Boxwood

Boxwood and roses pair well to create a timeless classy and polished look. Whether you plant boxwood as borders for roses or climbing roses as a backdrop for the clipped boxwood, this duo never disappoints.

56. Daphne

Daphne grows in small to medium-sized shrubs with rich fragrant pink, yellow, or white flower clusters. Daphne also produces deep green leaves with some varieties boasting gold variegations. You will also notice the leaves transition from light green when younger to darker green at maturity. Paired with roses, Daphne, planted at the base, helps to highlight the brighter-colored perennials.

Ornamental Grass

57. Mexican Feather Grass

Roses are pretty elegant and show-stopping on their own. So, instead of pairing them with other flowering plants, sometimes, all you need is the right ornamental grass to accentuate the blossoms. Mexican feather grass, Texas needle grass, or stripa tenuissima is among the best options. It offers a fine and feathery leaf design which adds texture and musical movement planted around your roses.

58. Pink Muhly Grass

As the name suggests, Pink muhly grass features a strong ornamental look with delicate pink clouds over its tall dark green foliage. The ornamental grass creates a surreal appearance when paired with roses.

Flowering Herbs

59. Chamomile

Chamomile grows ultra tiny, ground-covering white petaled flowers with yellow centers, similar to daisies. These pleasantly scented and edible herbs provide a perfect base for highlighting your roses while also being elegant on their own.

60. Lavender

The short purple-colored lavender spires complement and balance out the cupped and tall stemmed rose flowers. The best part of going for this pair is that you can plant lavender alongside any rose colors. Further, you can plant lavender as front borders for the roses or combine them in much more extensive-sized meadows. Lavender is also an excellent attractor of pollinators while its pleasant floral scent repels rabbits and deer.

61. Catmint

Nepeta or catmint is an aromatic herb that grows as a low-bushy plant with spiky purple or violet herbs. The plant adds a wonderful color addition to your garden when paired with roses. While it is part of the mint family, you don’t have to worry about its aggressive spreading across your garden. Nonetheless, its string scent allows the herb to repel aphids and Japanese beetles, leaving your roses safe.

62. Bee Balm

Bee balm grows beautiful spooky flowers with bright colors, memorable textures, and peculiar shapes. Yet, these wonderfully colored flowering plants grow impressively well with roses. You can choose between a selection of purple, pink, and red shades. Bee balm also attracts beneficial insects, including particular powdery mildew-repelling varieties.

63. Sea Holly

Sea holly grows architectural spiny blossoms in blue, silver, or purple shades. In addition to their unique ornamental benefits, sea holly adds value to your soil. They reduce the compaction of the soil and boost drainage while also deterring deer and rabbits thanks to their prickly nature.

64. Salvia

Salvia grows deep purple, burgundy, or white spiky spires, just like lavender to border your rose bushes. This excellent filler plant is also nectar-rich and pungent smelling to attract pollinators and repel pests, respectively.

Herbs

65. Thyme

Roses are popularly paired with other ornamental flowering plants. However, did you know that these woody perennials also grow well alongside edible herbs? A good example is the ground covering thyme. In addition to highlighting your roses, thyme comes with a range of other benefits.

First, you have an ample supply of fresh culinary herbs while also doubling as living mulch. Thyme is also a host plant for various predatory insects, like lacewings, which take care of garden pests. Moreover, thyme produces a strong scent that masks roses to protect them from pests.

66. Other Mediterranean Herbs

In addition to thyme, roses grow well with several Mediterranean herbs, including sage and oregano. In addition to their filler function, these herbs produce a strong fragrance that repels unwanted pests from your roses.

67. Parsley

Parsley and roses make great companions. Roses primarily benefit from parsley, thanks to its pest-repelling abilities. It is particularly effective at repelling rose beetles and aphids. Additionally, planting parsley near roses improves the overall fragrance of these woody perennials.

68. Dill

Dill is equally as good in a rose garden as it is in a vegetable garden. The herb attracts good insects, like lacewings, wasps, hoverflies, and ladybugs, which take care of unwanted herbs. It also acts as a trap crop for aphids. Dill is also known to produce bright yellow blossoms and feathery foliage, making it the perfect accent plant and bouquet filler for your roses.

69. Sweet Basil

Like many aromatic herbs, sweet basil grows well with roses, taking care of their pest problems.

70. Mint

With proper pruning, mint provides outstanding ground cover for roses without being invasive. The strong-scented herb also aids in pest control while serving as living mulch.

Allium Family

71. Alliums

Members of the alliums family are another popular companion group for roses. If you want to add a colorful pop of color, ornamental onions or alliums are great. Alliums grow eye-catching globes or heads of small purple flower clusters.

In addition to complementing roses, alliums boast a strong onion or garlic scent that repels unwanted aphids and Japanese aphids. Alliums also attract predatory insects that further deal with the pest problem.

72. Garlic

Garlic also adds value to ornamental gardens with its green foliage filling garden gaps. Garlic has a strong sulfur aroma that repels rodents, ants, slugs, and aphids. It also secretes a compound known as allicin, proven to boast antifungal properties. So, it allows the garlic to act as an organic fungicide in the garden to protect roses from fungal diseases, such as mildew and black spots.

6 Worst Companion Plants for Roses

Roses have an extensive list of the best companion plants. But, this doesn’t mean that they grow with just about any plant. In addition to the ornamental compatibility (which is subjective based on your visual preferences), you also want to avoid several plants as they may destroy your roses. Here are the plants you absolutely want to avoid planting with roses;

1. Some Ornamental Flowering Plants

Not all flowering plants pair well with roses. Here are ornamental flowering plants that don’t pair well with roses;

• Azaleas: They compete for sunlight and nutrients with roses
• Lilies: Survive in different soil conditions
• Toad lilies: Require full shade
• Fuchsia: They compete for nutrients with roses while requiring wet soil and full shade.
• Hibiscus: Compete with roses for nutrients and sunlight

2. Shade Lovers

Shade lovers such as bunchberry and hosta can’t grow with roses because they prefer fully shaded areas. On the other hand, shade-loving leopard plants prefer alkaline and moist soils.

3. Some Shrubs and Trees

Roses don’t do well with most shrubs and trees. This is because most of these plants are usually heavy feeders. So, when planted with roses, they will excessively compete for resources with the woody perennials.

4. Berries

Berries, such as strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries don’t grow well with roses. These plants are usually heavy feeders and love the same nutrients roses love. So, planting them together results in a steep competition where one or both lose.

5. Legumes

Legumes and vegetables, such as beans, peas, and corn are heavy feeders like roses. Pairing them together will only kill the plants.

6. Some Nightshades

A few select nightshades, like peppers and eggplants along with vining plants, like cucumbers are not fans of roses. When planted close to each other, these plants will compete for nutrients.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Conclusion

Searching for the best companion plants for roses should never be a headache. With such an extensive list, you have a wide variety to choose from based on your garden needs. Whether you need ornamental options to complement roses or companions to improve the soil environment, you can find what you need.

Nonetheless, no matter the option you choose, you should always plant roses and their companions by leaving at least a foot space from each plant. This reduces the risks of overcrowding which roses tend to fall victim to. Further, always remember roses love good circulation and adequate sun exposure to survive.

More companion plants

• Companion plants for daylilies
• Companion plants for dahlias
• Companion plants for gardenias
• Companion plants for boxwoods