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Rose companion planting

nickoslesterosnickoslesteros Posts: 178
in Plants
Hello!

I have three bare root DA Susan William Ellis arriving in the autumn. They will be going into a border with a pre existing Poets Wife. Because I have 0 imagination, can anyone suggest some good companions? Lower maintenance the better and something to extend the season of interest. I like grasses too. 

Love to hear some inspiration :smile:

Cheers 

Posts

  • Butterfly66Butterfly66 Posts: 970
    It all depends on your soil but some thoughts. How about hardy geraniums and persicaria. We have Poets Wife and Vanessa Bell roses mixed in with a white persicaria, ox eye daisies, alchemilla mollis and geranium Kashmir White. 

    You could use a blue geranium if you wanted more contrast contrast. Salvia Mainacht would look lovely and give a good contrast, colour and form.
     If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”—Marcus Tullius Cicero
    East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
  • borgadrborgadr Posts: 718
    I've tried growing a few things under my roses. Those I like the most, in terms of the effect, are Salvia 'nachtvlinder' and Geranium 'roseanne'. Both flower all summer long.
  • bullfinchbullfinch Posts: 692
    David Austin often put pictures of planting combinations on instagram, if that's any help @nickoslester93f3fKIn :)
  • Alfie_Alfie_ Posts: 456
    edited September 2023
    I find plants that compliment cottage garden border schemes works really well since roses are themselves foundational to cottage garden borders. I prefer long flowering ones that keep the border looking good in-between the rose flushes. Here are some I use:

    Salvias

    Astrantia

    Campanula lactiflora (I have Loddon Anna)

    Nepeta (Six Hills Giant for middle of the border with the roses or Walker's Low if using in front). 

    Lavender

    Alliums 

    I have hazel wigwams behind a few rose shrubs with sweet peas trained up. Picking soft pastel colours for the sweetpeas creates a nice gentle backdrop for the roses and adds height to your border too. Certain clematis works too like pink fantasy.......again, soft colours and nothing too showy that will detract from the roses as they are very much the centrepiece. 

    Hardy geraniums - Rozanne flowers prolifically non stop all summer (as do other varieties that produce sterile seeds)

    Phlox 

    Dahlias - again, ones more in keeping with a cottage garden scheme so not very showy ones. 

    Repeating a small handful of these companion plants in a particular border works best in my opinion. You wouldn't want a whole host of different ones in the same border. 

    David Austin have some pictures and a few helpful hints too:

    https://www.davidaustinroses.co.uk/blogs/news/how-to-use-companion-plants

    Good luck. 

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