The 13 Best Companion Plants for Roses (Because You Deserve a Gorgeous Garden)

This is a classic combination, with good reason: It’s incredibly romantic. Lavender is a perennial with upright spikes of fragrant purple flowers and foliage that contrasts beautifully with almost any color rose, especially shades of pink and cream. Some gardeners think the scent also may repel deer and rabbits who might want to chow down on your roses.

Catmint has silvery foliage with a spicy-sweet scent that some gardeners say repels nibbling rodents. Its purple flowers bloom for weeks and weeks, and it also attracts oodles of pollinators, so it’s a great perennial for rounding out any garden.

Alliums, or ornamental onions, have pretty white, pink or purple globe-shaped flowers atop long stems. Some gardeners think their scent keeps away aphids. This pretty plant will return reliably year after year.

Cranesbill are also known as perennial geraniums, and they have spicy-smelling, attractive foliage that lasts all season long. Their scent may keep away rabbits. They have pretty blooms on long stems in late spring. Plant them under tall roses bushes as an accent.

Parsley is purported to ward off aphids and Japanese beetles from roses. Though that may not necessarily be true, it does attract tons of pollinators if left to flower. And you can snip off pieces to use while cooking, which is a nice bonus.

Sage is a hardy perennial herb that loves lots of full sun, just like roses. The pungent leaves may repel the bad bugs, while if left to flower, the stunning flowers attract pollinators of all types.

Some gardeners say yarrow attracts ladybugs, which eat aphids that can attack your roses. Whether that’s fact or fiction, yarrow is an attractive upright perennial with feathery foliage that pairs well with roses.

These annuals are reliable bloomers, and they come in colors ranging from creamy white to bright yellow. They provide a striking contrast to pastel-colored roses and are pollinator-friendly, too.

You can plant some types of bulbs in spring to provide early color before your roses are in full bloom. Plus, they’ll come back year after year. Win, win.

This charming low-growing annual makes a delightful companion planting for roses because of its long bloom period from spring to frost. It also attracts many beneficial pollinators that support the overall health of your garden.

This is a less common pairing for roses, but the steely blue color of this ornamental grass offers interesting texture and color contrast for a border of coral or pale pink roses. Plant in groupings for the biggest impact.

This low-growing perennial is not particularly well-known, but it’s a fantastic groundcover beneath shrubs (such as roses). Teeny blue flowers appear all summer long, and it’s deer- and rabbit-resistant.

Salvia has gorgeous, long-blooming spikes of deep purple flowers. These flowers contrast nicely with saturated colors such as peach or coral, so consider planting this sturdy perennial near your roses.