Share your ideas about the right and wrong plants for rose gardens.

I wonder how the people who grow clematis and other vines thru the rose bushes, or the people who grow flowers or ground cover beneath them, are able to comfortably prune, spray, scratch in new compost or manure and do whatever else is needed to tend to the roses.

No one in this area seems to grow roses because they will not grow without some attention. Of course I think that they are worth whatever is necessary. I overheard someone at the Philadelphia Flower Show comment to her companions about her distaste for roses and they were all in agreement. Unbelievable!!!

It really is amazing that a lot of gardeners don't like roses. I find it unbelievable too. At least we won't run into any of those people in this cubit.

As for the space issue, I'm currently finishing up my pruning and I come inside bleeding from a thousand scratches every day. My poor roses really are crowded together. Once the bulbs, annuals, irises, and other things between the roses start growing, I stay out of the beds. Consequently, the roses in the middle always need deadheading. When I apply compost or Epsom salts or alfalfa tea, I just sort of fling it in the general direction of the bushes. Anything needing to be scratched in would have to be done in January and February when all of that stuff is short and dormant.

In one of my small rose gardens, i put a weed mat down and mulch on top. In another area (front rock wall) I am using all kinds of sedum and ground cover (started from seed to save money). So far I have mixed in ice plant, dragons blood, creeping jenny, Sedum rupestre 'Angelina, black scallop ajuga and Sedum kamtschaticum. In another small bed i crowd perennials and bulbs in to keep down the weeds. I stuff straw between the perennials to help with the weed problem and have not been bothered with critters in the straw.

Terri, we seem to have the same treatments with companion plants, weed mat, and even the straw. I think I'd feel right at home in your garden.

As for the clematis, I grow the Pruning Groups 1 and 2 clematis with climbers and have Group 3's planted with the roses that I prune back heavily. Then, the clematis and rose treatments are similar for pruning and there is no inconsistency. Also, I tend to go with the shorter growing clematis for the rose bushes rather than the robust ones that might eat my roses! There are many clematis available now that top out between 4-6 feet and they are ideal for planting with the roses as mannerly companions.

Evey

Great advice about which clematis is best for the rose bushes. I will start my searching now. Offhand, can you recommend which ones you think might be best.

Teri, I'm sure Evey will be back with some recommendations soon, but in the meantime, you could go shopping at http://www.simplyclems.com/

Evey has the heights of all her clems listed on her site, not to mention gorgeous photos of all of them, so you can choose the best to plant with climbers or with shorter roses or even in large containers with some mini roses.

I'm not sure how I overlooked this thread earlier! Sorry about the delay, Teri.

Selection can depend on a lot of things, Teri. Your zone, the types of roses you want to pair the clems with, and the color(s) you desire will dictate which clems are the best choice as your companions. I have roses that range from miniatures to huge climbers, and the choice of clem would be vastly different for each situation. Can you give me an idea of the roses you want to use as companions and if you are striving for a particular color scheme?

I'd like a low growing plant to plant in front of my roses by the patio. Evergreen and possibility of flowering in Sacramento CA. I planted herrerria but they burn in the summer heat. Any suggestions?