Plants to Plant With Roses

Herbs

• Garlic, parsley, sage and lavender are good herbs to plant with roses, because they like the same type soil as roses do, and have similar sun and watering needs. Garlic repels Japanese beetles and aphids, two insect pests that attack roses. Rue is an herb that's good to plant with roses and repels Japanese beetles. Parsley attracts hoverflies, a beneficial insect that feeds on pollen and nectar. Parsley also enhances the scent of roses when planted around their base.

Vegetables

• Many vegetables grow well with roses. Don't use pesticides or other chemicals on your roses if you have vegetables growing nearby. Some vegetables that grow well with roses include broccoli, eggplant, kale, Swiss chard and peppers. Planting tomatoes has an additional benefit. According to the Cornell Cooperative Extension, tomatoes help to protect roses against the blackspot fungus.

Flowers

• White geraniums deter Japanese beetles, but any color geranium is good to plant with roses since all geraniums deter insects. They share the same needs as roses for sun and water. Hardy geraniums flower for a long time and grow low to the ground, complementing the flowers on the rose bushes. Other companion flowers include aster, bleeding heart, daisies, delphiniums and hibiscus. Irises, gladiolas and dahlias can all be used to fill in space between roses. In addition, dahlias will deter nematodes, tiny, worm-like animals that live in the soil and damage plants.

Shrubs

• Small-to-medium shrubs make a border, and help fill empty spaces in your garden. Ensure they won't cast shade over your roses once they're fully grown. English boxwood is a small shrub that only grows 2 or 3 feet tall. Dwarf Yaupon Hollies have a fine-textured leaf pattern that is attractive with roses. Another good choice is barberry. Barberry and boxwood also help keep the topsoil from drying.