8 Best & 8 Worst Rose Companion Plants

Since roses have been domesticated for so long, we know a lot about them. The main lesson we’ve taken away is how crucial it is to select the right rose companion plants if you want your roses to flourish. They will look lovely together in your yard and deter pests from your roses. You achieve that by putting them alongside other flowers or herbs. This article will outline the best rose companion plants and herbs so that yours will look beautiful all season long¹. In addition to that, we will also list a few bad companions you must avoid when planting roses in your garden.

Best Rose Companion Plants

• Allium
• Hollyhock
• Lavender
• Marigold
• Nasturtium
• Parsley
• Thyme
• Yarrow

Alliums as Rose Companion Plants

We start our list of the best rose companion plants with allium. Roses and alliums make excellent garden companions. They are also referred to as members of the onion or garlic family and are a fantastic choice for the back of your border².

Alliums draw helpful insects to your garden while keeping away other pests like Japanese beetles with their strong aroma. Alliums are a fantastic choice if you’re searching for a quick method to add some height or color to your rose garden.

Hollyhocks and Roses

Let’s continue our list of the best rose companion plants with hollyhock. Since they draw beneficial insects and are simple to maintain, hollyhocks make excellent rose companion plants. Plant them in a mixed border if you want to add some color to your yard since they also look lovely together. Hollyhocks are the ideal choice if you want to add more flowers that will draw butterflies and other pollinators!

Lavender as Rose Companion

A perennial, lavender thrives in full sun moderate shade and well-drained soil. It has a delicious aroma that entices bees to pollinate your other plants. It’s a terrific choice for an edible garden³. Although the blossoms are also edible, you should generally keep them for teas or sachets rather than tasting them on their own. The reason is that they are little and have a weak flavor. Lavender is a fantastic decorative plant that pairs beautifully with white roses because of its stunning purple blossoms!

Throughout the growing season, particularly during dry times, it’s crucial to continue routinely watering your lavender. If you do everything right, this companionship will make your garden look wonderful! Another good news is that we also prepared a list of companion plants for lavender. Check it out:

Marigolds as Rose Companion Plants

If we have a look at another member of the best rose companion plants on our list, we see marigold. Marigolds are an excellent option for keeping your plants healthy and free of pests. The reason is that they are known for deterring aphids and other insects that like feasting on the sensitive new growth of your roses⁴. Marigolds are another fantastic option for adding color to your garden, and they may enhance the aesthetic and practical value of any flower border or bed.

Marigolds are simple to cultivate! All you need are some fundamental gardening techniques to start taking advantage of their vivid beauty!

For further information about marigold companion plants:

Nasturtium and Rose

Nasturtiums are excellent rose companion plants. They are ideal for your garden since they are simple to cultivate and look stunning when combined⁵.

Roses are protected from pests by nasturtiums. Nasturtiums are a natural insect repellant when planted next to rose bushes or other plants in your yard since pests like aphids and whiteflies adore them.

Nasturtiums can be combined with other flowers or utilized as ground cover. Since they spread quickly, putting them below your roses can help control weed growth. Additionally, they also enhance the area surrounding the base of each flowering shrub with color and texture.

Don’t forget to have a look at the best nasturtium companion plants:

Parsley Planted with Rose

Continuing our list of the best rose companion plants, we take a look at parsley. Roses and parsley make excellent gardening buddies⁶. It is simple to cultivate, draws pollinators like bees and butterflies, and wards off pests like aphids, whiteflies, and spider mites. Consider growing some parsley nearby if you’re attempting to cultivate roses in an area where there are plenty of aphids or whiteflies.

We also have a huge list of the best parsley companion plants! Check it out:

Thyme & Rose

Thyme is a perennial plant with a wide range of applications. Did you know that thyme is also a fantastic rose companion plant?

One of the most frequent pests of roses, aphids, have been demonstrated to be repelled by thyme. Since it has a strong perfume, it’s a great option for keeping pests away from your priceless flowers! Thyme’s antimicrobial qualities also guarantee that mold won’t grow on the leaves around your rose plants.

Thyme is a wonderful addition to any garden or flower area due to its resilience and tolerance for poor soil conditions. It grows nicely among other herbs like basil. These plants’ fragrant blooms draw bees, who then pollinate surrounding plants like tomatoes and peppers!

If you want to learn more about thyme companion plants, follow the link below:

Yarrow as Rose Companion

The last member of the best rose companion plants is the yarrow. A perennial plant belonging to the aster family is yarrow. It reaches a height of around 5 feet and blooms all summer long with fragrant white flowers. Yarrow is a great plant to grow beside roses⁷ because it draws bees and other helpful insects.

What NOT to Plant with Rose

• Beans/Peas
• Blackberry
• Corn
• Cucumber
• Eggplant
• Pepper
• Raspberry
• Strawberry

Beans/Peas and Corn

The first members you must avoid as rose companion plants are beans, peas, and corn. These three will compete with your rose for nutrients. This competition leads to the death of some of these plants!

On the other hand, all of these plants have other great companion plants! Check them out:

Blackberry – Raspberry – Strawberry

Blackberry, Raspberry, and Strawberry are from the same family and also don’t go well with rose plants! These tasty fruits need many nutrients from the soil and are sometimes very stingy concerning sharing. So, make sure you also avoid these bad rose companion plants next to your rose.

We also prepared companion plants for these three fruits. Don’t forget to have a look at them:

Cucumber – Eggplant – Pepper 

The last three bad members of rose companion plants are cucumber, eggplant, and pepper. Also avoid these three plants because they need too much nutrition, as your rose plants. If you don’t let much space between them, they will start competing and fighting each other.

For more information about companion plant lists of cucumber, eggplant, and pepper, check out the articles below:

References

1. Salamanca, J., Souza, B., & Rodriguez‐Saona, C. (2018). Cascading effects of combining synthetic herbivore‐induced plant volatiles with companion plants to manipulate natural enemies in an agro‐Pest management science, 74(9), 2133-2145.
2. Kumar, V., & Chandel, S. (2018). Management of rose powdery mildew (Podosphaera pannosa) through ecofriendly approaches. Indian Phytopathology, 71(3), 393-397.
3. Kalemba-Drożdż, M., Kwiecień, I., Szewczyk, A., Cierniak, A., & Grzywacz-Kisielewska, A. (2020). Fermented vinegars from apple peels, raspberries, rosehips, lavender, mint, and rose petals: the composition, antioxidant power, and genoprotective abilities in comparison to acetic macerates, decoctions, and tinctures. Antioxidants, 9(11), 1121.
4. Singh, P. K., Singh, K. K., Yadav, B., Kumar, A., & Srivastava, A. B. (2022). Constraints in the production and marketing of rose and marigold.
5. Bortolini, D. G., Barros, L., Maciel, G. M., Brugnari, T., Modkovski, T. A., Fachi, M. M., … & Haminiuk, C. W. I. (2022). Bioactive profile of edible nasturtium and rose flowers during simulated gastrointestinal digestion. Food Chemistry, 381, 132267.
6. Coskun, Y., Tutenocakli, T., Tas, I., Akcura, M., & Oral, A. (2022). ALLELOPATIC EFFECTS OF SOME ESSENTIAL OIL COMPONENTS OF THYME AND ROSE ON GERMINATION: CASE STUDY OF BARLEY. Current Trends in Natural Sciences, 11(21), 104-111.
7. Vidović, S., Vasić, A., Vladić, J., Jokić, S., Aladić, K., Gavarić, A., & Nastić, N. (2021). Carbon dioxide supercritical fluid extracts from yarrow and rose hip herbal dust as valuable source of aromatic and lipophilic compounds. Sustainable Chemistry and Pharmacy, 22, 100494.