Alphabetical Plant Listing

Great Rose Companion Plants: Nepeta, Salvia and Lavandula

Best Rose Companions, Companion Planting


Roses need friends or companion plants around them for various reasons, including pest and disease control, longer season of interest, and aesthetics.

Growing roses by themselves is an open invitation to the pests and diseases that favor roses. Roses are healthier when provided with companion plants that help repel destructive bugs while encouraging beneficial insects. For instance, Alliums repel aphids, weevils, borers, and moles.  Geraniums repel Japanese beetles, aphids, and other rose beetles. Marigolds help repel harmful nematodes and many pests, etc.

​Highly placed among the favorite rose companion plants are Nepeta (Catmint), hardy Salvia (Sage), and Lavandula angustifolia (English Lavender), whose exquisite flower heads contrast beautifully with the billowing pink, red, yellow, or white roses. 

Easy to grow, these perennials make the roses appear more vibrant than they would on their own, cover the exposed knees of your rose bushes without covering their rose blooms and attract a huge number of insects, especially bees and hoverflies. They are also very proficient at keeping rabbits away (lavender and catmint) and flower just as the roses begin to bloom, providing an attractive early and long-lasting display. Grown in mass plantings, they give great texture and make a lovely foil for the roses.

Guide Information

Hardiness 5 - 9
Plant Type Perennials, Roses
Plant Family Lavandula - Lavender, Rosa - English Roses, Rosa - Floribunda Roses, Rosa - Grandiflora Roses, Rosa - Hybrid Tea Roses, Rosa - Shrub Roses, Rosa - Roses, Salvia - Sage
Exposure Full Sun, Partial Sun
Season of Interest Spring (Late)
Summer (Early,Mid,Late)
Fall
Water Needs Average
Maintenance Average
Soil Type Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil pH Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Soil Drainage Moist but Well-Drained, Well-Drained
Characteristics Cut Flowers, Fragrant, Showy
Attracts Butterflies
Landscaping Ideas Beds and Borders, Underplanting Roses and Shrubs
Garden Styles City and Courtyard, Formal Garden, Informal and Cottage, Traditional Garden
Compare All Lavandula - Lavender Compare All Rosa - English Roses Compare All Rosa - Floribunda Roses Compare All Rosa - Grandiflora Roses Compare All Rosa - Hybrid Tea Roses Compare All Rosa - Shrub Roses Compare All Rosa - Roses Compare All Salvia - Sage Great Plant Combination Ideas with Lavandula - Lavender Great Plant Combination Ideas with Rosa - Shrub Roses Great Plant Combination Ideas with Rosa - Roses Great Plant Combination Ideas with Salvia - Sage Guides with Lavandula - Lavender Guides with Rosa - English Roses Guides with Rosa - Floribunda Roses Guides with Rosa - Grandiflora Roses Guides with Rosa - Hybrid Tea Roses Guides with Rosa - Shrub Roses Guides with Rosa - Roses Guides with Salvia - Sage

photohampster / 123RF Stock Photo,

While every effort has been made to describe these plants accurately, please keep in mind that height, bloom time, and color may differ in various climates. The description of these plants has been written based on numerous outside resources.

Guide Information

Hardiness 5 - 9
Plant Type Perennials, Roses
Plant Family Lavandula - Lavender, Rosa - English Roses, Rosa - Floribunda Roses, Rosa - Grandiflora Roses, Rosa - Hybrid Tea Roses, Rosa - Shrub Roses, Rosa - Roses, Salvia - Sage
Exposure Full Sun, Partial Sun
Season of Interest Spring (Late)
Summer (Early,Mid,Late)
Fall
Water Needs Average
Maintenance Average
Soil Type Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil pH Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Soil Drainage Moist but Well-Drained, Well-Drained
Characteristics Cut Flowers, Fragrant, Showy
Attracts Butterflies
Landscaping Ideas Beds and Borders, Underplanting Roses and Shrubs
Garden Styles City and Courtyard, Formal Garden, Informal and Cottage, Traditional Garden
Compare All Lavandula - Lavender Compare All Rosa - English Roses Compare All Rosa - Floribunda Roses Compare All Rosa - Grandiflora Roses Compare All Rosa - Hybrid Tea Roses Compare All Rosa - Shrub Roses Compare All Rosa - Roses Compare All Salvia - Sage Great Plant Combination Ideas with Lavandula - Lavender Great Plant Combination Ideas with Rosa - Shrub Roses Great Plant Combination Ideas with Rosa - Roses Great Plant Combination Ideas with Salvia - Sage Guides with Lavandula - Lavender Guides with Rosa - English Roses Guides with Rosa - Floribunda Roses Guides with Rosa - Grandiflora Roses Guides with Rosa - Hybrid Tea Roses Guides with Rosa - Shrub Roses Guides with Rosa - Roses Guides with Salvia - Sage

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