Rose Companion Planting

Rose companion planting adds contrasting texture and color to the garden while offering natural pest control. For example, members of the onion family like chives and ornamental alliums are said to enhance rose perfume and ward off aphids and black spot while adding pretty foliage.

Globe thistle’s stunning blooms complement many rose hues and attract beneficial insects, including hoverflies that feed on aphids. This perennial is also an excellent low-growing ground cover that suppresses weeds and improves soil moisture retention.

Lavender

The silvery foliage of lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) is a beautiful partner for roses, particularly shrub and floribunda varieties that require well-draining soil. Plant apricot, pink, and red roses alongside lavender plants like ‘Hidcote’ or ‘Mrs Kendall Clark’ to create a delightful fragrance that lasts all summer.

These hardy perennials also attract beneficial insects, including hoverflies whose larvae feed on aphids, which helps reduce the need for chemical pest control. Lavenders come in a range of colors and forms, from short and bushy to tall flower spires, and they do best when planted in sunny gardens where they can receive full sun.

Other flowers that work beautifully with roses include alyssum (L. angustifolia), foxgloves (Foxglove), and rose-scented geraniums (Geranium pratense). Many of these repeat-flowering perennials open just after roses do, so they keep the garden vibrant as the seasons change. The foliage of these plants provides ground cover and helps suppress weeds, but they do not need as much watering or fertilizer as roses. If a light mulch is applied, they can tolerate some drought once established.

Salvia

Plants with similar cultural requirements, such as sun and soil, pair well with roses. For example, tall perennial salvias, such as ‘Silver Sage’ and ‘Miss Goody’, complement the bloom height of Pink Knock Out Roses while adding visual texture to your garden. These plants also attract pollinators, boosting the performance of your roses and contributing to healthy ecosystems in your garden.

In addition, salvias contain a chemical compound called salvinorin A—the most potent naturally occurring hallucinogen known to science. This chemical, which affects the kappa-opioid receptor in your brain, is said to induce a spiritual awakening and heightened awareness.

The flowering period of plants like white gaura lindheimeri (pictured above) overlaps with roses for a harmonious display, and its delicate flowers are especially beautiful against the backdrop of lush rose foliage. The fine leaves of this plant, which can flower until late November, also provide a layer of contrast with the bushy growth of roses and absorb excess moisture in the soil. This reduces the likelihood of mildew and blackspot and acts as a natural fungicide.

Yarrow

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is easy to grow, adaptable to many climates and a long-blooming perennial. It complements roses beautifully with its color, form and texture. It is well-suited to meadow or prairie plantings and pairs well with rudbeckia daisies, purple coneflower and native grasses in drought-resistant landscapes.

Its fine-textured foliage offers contrast and structure to rose beds and borders. Cultivated yarrow is available with cool-toned flowers in white, yellow, and pink that pair nicely with the rich hues of rose blooms. It is a wonderful choice for cottage-style gardens.

Yarrow is also an effective companion plant because it attracts beneficial insects, such as ladybugs, that eat aphids. Its scented leaves repel deer and rabbits, while its fibrous roots improve soil texture by capturing excess nitrates and phosphates. When yarrow plants die back in fall, they release those nutrients back into the soil for re-use.

Red Creeping Thyme

The low-growing, spreading foliage of red creeping thyme suffocates weeds and helps protect rose plants from soil erosion. It works particularly well in rock gardens, paths, and slopes. In full sun, it grows 3 to 5 inches tall and pairs nicely with roses in colors of white, pink, and rose-red. It is also an excellent companion for lavender and other perennials with similar growing requirements.

Other ground covers that pair beautifully with roses include euphorbia, which provides both practical and aesthetic benefits. Its dense growth naturally suppresses weeds and enriches the soil with organic matter as it decomposes. It also helps retain soil moisture and regulates temperature, which is ideal for healthy roses.

Planting with companions not only enhances the beauty of roses, but it also promotes healthier plants by increasing biodiversity and reducing stress. Companion plants with beneficial properties, like the aphid-repelling scent of sage or the pollinator-attracting marigolds, work especially well in rose gardens because they help keep pests away from the shrubs.

Feather Reed Grass

This perennial grass has a dramatic presence in the garden with its feathery plumes that add texture, color and movement. It grows in clumps and produces blooms of soft blush pink that mature to a buff hue in autumn. Feather reed grass is tolerant of a variety of conditions, including dry to wet soil and full sun to partial shade. It is a good choice for creating natural borders or windbreaks because it can grow tall and dense, offering privacy and noise insulation.

Plant in a mixed border with other shrubs, flowers and perennials to create a tapestry of different colors and textures. Mix roses with plants that provide contrast or texture, such as spiky foxgloves, coarse leaves of brunnera and frothy inflorescences of baby’s breath. Add interest with contrasting foliage colors, such as dark greens, lighter greens and grey-leaved cotton lavender. Incorporate flowering perennials such as alyssum and lilyturf, which attract beneficial insects that prey on common pests, such as aphids and beetles.

Feather reed grass does not need to be fertilized but can benefit from a spring application of slow-release granular fertilizer. Avoid companion plants with expansive root systems that can overpower the clumps of grass and compete for water and nutrients.