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 |
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 |