What to grow with roses

A combination of these plants provides colour before the roses bloom, accentuates their beauty when they’re in flower in midsummer, and provides further colour and structure once the roses have faded.

Spring bulbs

Purple tulips — What to grow with roses - purple-pink tulips

Many roses are pruned in winter and aren't very attractive at this time. Underplant them with a succession of spring bulbs such as snowdrops, crocus, grape hyacinths, narcissi, early-flowering tulips and late-flowering tulips, before the roses start to bloom.

Alliums

Alliums come up year after year and their violet, globe-like flowers look great with early roses. Alliums and other members of the onion family are said to ward off aphids, prevent rose black spot and even make the scent of roses stronger.

Erysimum 'Bowles's Mauve'

The perennial wallflower, Erysimum 'Bowles's Mauve', starts flowering in spring and continues through summer – a great foil for white, pink, crimson or red roses. It then continues to flower for the rest of the year, providing interest after the roses have faded. Keep deadheading it for the best results.

Lilies

Most lilies come into flower just as the first flush of roses is beginning to go over. Tall, blowsy Lilium regale bears beautiful, white, pink-flushed flowers with a delicious fragrance. It also makes a good cut flower.

Foxgloves

White, pink and purple foxgloves are at their peak in midsummer, coinciding with the flowering time of many roses, and their spire shapes contrast beautifully with them. The peachy foxglove ‘Sutton’s Apricot’ looks particularly lovely with creamy, pink or crimson roses.

Hardy geraniums

Geranium x oxonianum 'Wargrave Pink' — What to grow with roses - small, pink hardy geranium flowers

Roses look great underplanted with hardy geraniums. Purple-blue geraniums like 'Rozanne' look good with many colours of rose, while pale pink Geranium x oxonianum 'Wargrave Pink' looks especially pretty with crimson roses such as 'Darcey Bussell'.

Salvias

Salvia nemorosa 'Ostfriesland' — What to grow with roses - purple salvias

Salvias come in a range of colours and make great partners for roses – they're long-flowering and their spire shapes give contrasting structure and interest. They also attract a huge number of beneficial insects and it's said that they help to keep mildew and blackspot at bay.

Verbascums

Verbascum 'Clementine' — What to grow with roses - peachy-orange verbascums

Verbascums begin flowering in May and are still going when roses begin to bloom. They come in a wide range of colours, including yellow, white and peachy orange (such as 'Clementine', shown here). Their tall spires contrast beautifully with roses.

Nepeta

Nepetas form a carpet of blue and look especially good with pink, crimson, red and even yellow roses. Nepeta ‘Six Hills Giant’ can be quite vigorous, so if you're short on space, go for Nepeta racemosa 'Walker's Low'. They attract many pollinators, especially bees and hoverflies.

Penstemons

Penstemon 'Laura' — What to grow with roses - pink-fringed, white penstemons

Penstemons not only look great with roses – they also keep the show going once they've finished blooming, often well into autumn. In shades of purple, pink, crimson or white, they look lovely with apricot, cream and pink roses.

Lavender

English lavender, Lavandula angustifolia, especially the dark purple-blue ‘Hidcote’, looks wonderful with apricot, pink, crimson or red roses. When not in flower, it offers neat mounds of evergreen, aromatic foliage.

Clematis

Late-flowering clematis make the perfect planting partners for climbing roses, especially rambling roses, which flower only once in summer. Depending on the varieties you grow, you could have your rose and clematis flowering together or the clematis flowering after the rose has finished, extending the season of colour to your pergola or arch.