Good Companion Plants for Roses & Potatoes

Good Companion Plants for Roses

• Marigolds are good companion plants for roses. Marigolds encourage growth and deter pests, including nematodes that damage plant roots. Some of the other good companion plants for roses are not as pretty as marigolds. People often plant members of the Allium family with roses because they offer protection from many pests. Alliums, which include garlic, onions, leeks and chives, might seem like strange things to plant near roses. However, members of the Allium family deter pests, especially aphids. In addition, they reputedly protect roses against black spot and mildew, according to "Companion Planting" by Rodale Press. Some gardeners also plant parsley to repel rose beetles.

  While some companion plants repel destructive insects from roses, others attract beneficial insects. That includes such plants as creeping thyme or sweet alyssum, which do double duty as attractive ground covers under rose bushes while they also attract protective insects, according to Rodale.

Good Companion Plants for Potatoes

• Beautiful marigolds also are good companions for potato plants. Marigolds deter insect pests, such as nematodes, which damage potato plant roots. However, there are many other good companion plants for potatoes. Onions, tansy, catnip, coriander and nasturtium interplanted with potato plants deter Colorado potato beetles, according to "Companion Planting." Garlic releases aromas into the air that keep other potato bugs away.

  Some companion plants are attractants for insect pests. Among these are eggplant, jimson weed and black nightshade, which lure Colorado potato beetles away from potato plants, according to Rodale. Planting peas, beans and clover with potato plants helps to fix nitrogen in the soil, which helps the potato plants to use soil nutrients, boosts growth and helps eliminate the need for chemical fertilizers.

Why Companion Plants Are Good

• Every year damage and loss result from disease in plants, insect attacks or a plant's inability to utilize the soil nutrients properly. Sometimes rose bushes or potato vines die. Other times, the roses lose their leaves, or fail to produce many blooms, or the blooms are damaged and not attractive. Potato vines can also lose their leaves, and the potato plant can suffer damage or have stunted growth.

  Companion planting helps to limit or even eliminate such damage of losses in rose bushes and potato plants, improves the health of the plants and increases the yield of those plants without the use of chemicals. Therefore, companion planting helps people to grow roses and potatoes organically.