The right companion for roses

Summertime is rose time. First of all, a beautiful and lush bloom attracts everyone's attention. Only then do you perceive, what else the plant has to offer. It's like a picture here. Only the right frame creates the actual effect. The times when the rose bushes were lonely like the soldiers stood in a row in a bed are fortunately over. Today you can often find them nestled harmoniously between other plants. So that it does not lose its prominent position and still appears as part of the whole, there are a few things to keep in mind with mixed beds:

Select such specimens as companion plants, which have the same demands as roses:

• mostly sunny location,
• permeable and nutrient-rich soil

Roses don't want to be pushed too hard, they value open ground around their trunks, therefore plant the neighbors at an appropriate distance.

Maintain a safe distance

Despite all the sociability, the roses always want to keep a certain distance from all other plants. For example, those who have their specimens framed by upholstered perennials such as the blue pillow, he should take care of it, that these do not grow too close to the queens of flowers. The roses also don't have much left for closer relationships with larger neighbors. delphinium & Co should therefore keep enough distance. In addition, as a gardener you need some space for such work as:

• Loosen the soil
• Incorporate fertilizer
• Remove wild shoots
• In winter, pile up or cover with brushwood

Who fits who?

In addition to the location conditions, the colors are of course also decisive for the choice of accompanying plants. Plants with blue or purple flowers go well with almost all colors. The classic rose lover is of course lavender (Lavandula). But also the poisonous delphinium (Delphinum). Ball thistle ( Echinops) and all kinds of bluebells (Campanula) create a beautiful frame for all rose petals. Plants with large gray or green foliage also go well with all flower colors, which have no or little conspicuous flowers, such as the lady's mantle (Alchemilla). sage (Salvia) even scores with gray foliage and blue flowers. Everything, what has white flowers, like some phlox varieties (Phlox), Gypsophila (Gypsophila) or the straw beak "album"(Geranium) of course also count as a suitable companion. Even grasses like the Chinese reed (Miscanthus), Tuft hairgrass (Stipa) or bow love grass (Eragrostis).

Roses look harmonious with those plants, that are not too similar to their flowers. Therefore, roses and dahlias are usually not a good team.

Tone in tone is also feasible?

Of course you can also create a plant society, which is based on the color of the rose's flower tone in tone. Here you need some courage to experiment and two guidelines already mentioned: Do not plant too close and do not choose flower shapes that are too similar. Such beds are always loosened up by decorative leaf plants with different gray- and shades of green.

Create a harmonious sight

So that the rose bed does not make a randomly thrown together impression, you should definitely pay attention to the height of the individual plants. If you divide the planting area into three different sections, you can proceed as follows:

• Front: Ground cover roses, Upholstered perennials - everything that stays low
• Not: Shrub roses, Hybrid Tea Roses, Floribundarosen etc. and medium-sized perennials
• Rear: tall shrubs and grasses as well as climbing roses

Do not forget: Courage for the gap! The perennials also thank you, if they have enough space.