List of Roses

Notes on Michael's talk

Full presentation (beware it is quite a large download & can take 3-5 minutes to download, but well worth the wait.

Roses can be propagated in the same way as other shrubs, ie, take a cutting, remove the bottom leaf or leaves, one or two, depending on how close they are and place it in a pot of potting compost or earth. If you want to be more scientific about this process, check out the following websites. 1 www.rose-gardening-made-easy.com/growing-roses-from-cuttings.html This site advises optimal lengths of the stem cutting depending on the class of rose, eg, 7 or 8 inches for hybrid Teas or bourbons, 4 or 5 inches for chinas and modern shrub roses. Always take three or four, in case some fail. Late spring is an optimal time to take cuttings according to this site as the wood of the plant will be at the right stage of maturity to root well. Gallicia roses, such as rosa mundi, do not propagate readily from stem cuttings, instead use offshoots that grow from spreading underground in early spring.
Another recommendation is to carefully remove all thorns; if the thorns don’t pop off easily, the cane wood probably isn’t ripe enough.
Remove all but the topmost one or two leaves. Scrape off the bark at the bottom of the cutting, making a narrow 1 inch long wound, one on each side. 2 www.rooting-hormones.com/rose.htm This site has detailed instructions on budding and grafting, stenting, air layering as well as tips for improving rose bush transplanting. Rootstocks Two useful websites are listed below. The most important tip is that roses grafted on to Dr Huey rootstock are alkali tolerant. Multiflora rootstock should to be avoided as it is not happy in alkaline soil. http://scvrs.homestead.com/rootstock.html
www.herbs2000.com/flowers/r_soil.htm
Roses well-adapted to a hot and dry climate
(source L’Art des JARDINS le magazine des jardiniers d’aujourdui, printemps 2010 No 4) Bijou des Amateurs deep pink flowers turning violet as they fade Fantin Latour pink double, delicate perfume, very resistant, non-recurrent Fleur de Sardaigne pale pink climber, vigorous double flowers, recurrent Fortune’s double yellow semi-double vigorous climber, non-recurrent (Roseraie de Berty) Golden Celebration large yellow flowers, recurrent (David Austin), also Graham Thomas, slightly more orange Lijiang rose pale pink climber 10m, semidouble lantern flowers (Roses Anciennes André Eve) Louis Blériot semi-double pink, flowers all season, rosier paysager (Meilland) Paul Bocuse pink-orange flowers, recurrent, fruity perfume, robust (Guillot) Rosa banksiae hybrid Purezza, The Pearl small white flowers (Roseraie du Berry) Rosa chinenis ‘Mutabilis’ yellow pink five-petal flowers, recurrent, rosier botanique
Rosa x centifolia pink ‘100 petal’ flowers, perfumed Saint Galmier rambler or ground cover, small flowers, yellow core, very resistant (André Eve) Triomphe de Flore pale pink with a gold core William Allen Richardson yellow pink climber, rosier Noisette, recurrent More climbers Rosa luciae, Alberic Barbier 10m Rêve d’Or 4-5m Alister Stella Gray 4-5m
Adélaïde d’Orléans
Félicité Perpétue
Where to find them Les Roses Anciennes André Eve, 45300 Pithiviers www.roses-anciennes-eve.com Roses d’Antan, 22200 Grâces-Guingamp T 02 96 44 41 10 Pépinières Brochet-Lanvin, 51480 Nanteuil-la-Forêt www.jardin-brochetlanvin.com Pépinière de la Roseraie de Berty, 07110 Largentière www.roseraie-de-berty.com Roseraie Fabien Ducher, 42800 Châteauneuf www.roseraie-fabien-ducher.com Roses anciennes Guillot, 38460 Chamagnieu www.rosesguillot.com Meilland Richardier, 69815 Tassin-la-Demi-Lune Cedex www.meillandrichardier.com Les Rosiers du Berry, 18170 Loye-sur-Arnon T 02 48 96 19 76 Pétales de Roses www.petales-de-roses.com French rose terms Rosier botanique stands for wild roses, the original roses from which it all began. The dog rose is one of them. Rosa Banksiae Lutea, Mermaid, Rosa rugosa, Rosa gallica, Rosa Moschata also. Rosier Noisette is a family of repeat-blooming climbers created by Philippe Noisette in Charleston, South Carolina, and were introduced in France in 1817 when Noisette settled down there. Rosier sarmenteux is a rambler. Rosier paysager or arbustif is a tall and carefree rosebush, to use as a hedge, or at the
back of a bed, or alone on the lawn...

Karin Weber

Like all living organisms, when a rose undergoes stress it can get sick. That is, its normal defence mechanisms break down and it opens itself to disease.
The first rule for controlling rose diseases is prevention. You prevent diseases by ensuring your rose has its Three Basic Needs -plenty of sun, plenty of air, and plenty of nutrients which include water, the proper fertilizer and deep organically improved, well drained soil. By providing these needs, you reduce the stress on your roses, their susceptibility to diseases, and ultimately your need for potentially toxic pesticides in the garden.
The next rule for controlling diseases is to select resistant cultivars.
Soil sickness:
So many books assume that you will always be planting your new bushes or standards in virgin soil which has never grown roses before. Unfortunately this is not always so, and if the site has grown roses for more than ten years then it is liable to be rose-sick.
This curious complaint has still not been completely explained. Exhaustion of trace elements and the build up of root diseases and rose root poisons are all undoubtedly involved, but minute eelworms are probably the main culprits. Oddly, the old roses growing on the site may have shown little or no ill effect as they have adapted to the conditions. But planting a new rose in such soil can lead to poor growth and for this reason the top soil should be changed.
Soil preparation and planting:
Have all you tools handy, including kneeling pads for anyone over 50! Roses like to be planted deep so prepare the soil a few months in advance, if you can. Dig a hole the depth of two spades and add a good supply of organic humus, mixed with soil. Keep the soil well aerated. Roses do need nutritive elements but
are sensitive to too much fertilizers, so keep a happy balance. If your soil is not suitable for roses, consider raised beds or containers. When purchasing roses, except bare root roses, make sure the roots are moist and stay moist during the
waiting period and of course during planting. Soak bare root roses in water for several hours before planting.
Plant roses covering the graft by at least 3 -5 cms.
Before planting roots can also be pruned as this stimulates the formation of new roots.

Some useful tips for after care:

I prefer to feed roses organically if possible.

Fish emulsion seaweed (kelp). Many rosarians have achieved excellent results by applying these mixtures normally used in foliar fertilization applications. Mixed and applied per label directions, it is possible these ingredients encapsulate the fungi and prevent the spread of spores to neighbouring, non infected areas. Another theory suggests the kelp which remains on the leaves may alter the growing conditions conducive to the fungal spore's haustoria (fungal roots).
Whole neem oil. This ancient botanical insecticide and miticide from India also serves as a fungicide. Applied per label directions when conditions are favorable for disease is much more effective than when trying to control the disease after it appears. It is also virtually harmless to most beneficial insects and micro organisms in the garden.
Nettles soaked in a bucket of water for 24 hours, and the water then sprayed on plants is both a fertilizer and a pesticide.
Water regularly, but avoid pouring water on the stem.
Keep the area around the stem clear of weeds.
Disbudding, cutting and dead heading, thinning are also favourable to a healthy hearty plants.

References: La culture des rosiers. Artemis
www.gardenguides.com and rose gardening information


The War of the Roses ( between me and the deer ) posted by Alex Vining
How to deter these pretty creatures, known around our house as 'the little bambi buggers' . At the heart of the matter is the fact that deer are eating machines. Although we can't match
their appetites, most of us possess a superior intellect -huh ! Common sense tells us right away that (1) deer can't eat what they can't get at and (2) they are less likely to eat all that smells or tastes unattractive.
Obviously, the best way to deter deer is with a physical barrier. One option is to fence the whole -garden. For myself and many, that would be impractical due to cost and unsightliness.
Although you could achieve great results by fencing just the vulnerable groups of plants .For people who do not like the idea of fencing, there are products that can be applied to the plant, that smell or taste bad, or both. The ideal deterrent sprays are extremely bitter and adhere to surfaces for as long as a month. But those I have bought and tried in France do not seem to work. They do wash off with the rain quite quickly but more often failure is due to infrequent re-application. -easy to forget with all the other chores on hand. Some people do get results from using tallow based soaps or human hair clippings, these work by scent and are very successful when feeding pressure is low, but have not worked for me. Choosing plants that deer are less likely to prefer is always a prudent strategy, but remember that deer are fickle and vary in their tastes. Plants very seldom bothered are Boxwood, Colorado and Norway Spruce varieties, Berberis, Daffodils, and Muscari. Plants that deer adore eating, besides roses, apples and brambles include Yews, Rhododendrons, Azaleas, and Tulips. Putting Salt Licks in places away from the deer's usual tracks may work as deer will stray from their normal path for this salt lick, so bypassing the garden on their nightly stroll. You can get these from farmers co-ops. A salt lick is a salt deposit that animals regularly lick. providing the sodium, calcium, iron, phosphorus and zinc required in the springtime for bone, muscle and other growth in deer and other wildlife. Dogs are considered a top deterrent for keeping deer out of the garden -they would have to be kept out at night though. Some people have been known to pee around the garden and get successful results. (Peter's hasn't got what it takes !!!) Deer do not like the smell of rotten eggs -let eggs go off and then crack and place them around the garden perimeter. -yuk ! So for an egg repellent. -mix one egg per 1.5 lts of water, and double or triple the recipe until you make as much spray as needed. Spray it where you want deer to stay away. The smell isn't the greatest (that's the point), and you'll have to reapply after a heavy rain. Variations on this recipe include adding Tabasco, cayenne pepper, or garlic. Deer do not approach the area around the house if you have cats -or so they say – but, yes they do. I obviously have two ineffective cats. A cheeky stag, not 10 mts from the front door and 5 mts
from Peter turned and barked in his face as if to say 'you have no business here !' Strong fragranced soaps grated around the garden have also been tried to help deter deer, with uncertain results. To try, slip the soap into some old panty hose and hang it from a tree or fence very close to your roses -how very pretty having your pantihose flying in the wind !! You may have luck hanging soap around your property. In any case, soap smells stronger when wet, so be prepared to periodically water your soap with a hand mister -make sure it's not a strong rose fragrance -use lavender. Or, perhaps have creosoted rags hanging around the garden – but only if you are partial to the smell -asI am – although I understand creosote is now unavailable – fire-lighters have been suggested as an alternative.
One of the cheapest deterrents is mono filament line such as heavy fishing line. Use many strands,
wound around bamboo canes up to and just above the height of your roses. Deer having poor
eyesight, bump into this, and not knowing what has touched them are spooked.
Laying chicken wire, with a big mesh of about 6cm, loosely around plants to a distance of 1 mt
from the plant will stop the deer walking on that area -as they hate being unsure footed.
By placing stones about 6cm under the wire stops the mesh being flattened. Grass grows through
and can be strimmed to just above the mesh.
I use silver reflecting ribbon – hanging from canes close around the roses -this has a holographic
Print with thousands of reflecting facets -which flaps with a clicking noise -I've only found this at
B&Q in the UK – hanging CDs will also flash when swinging about.
I have planted foxgloves amongst the roses and planted the flower bed perimeter with lavender.
Both of which the deer dislike, however the lavender only seems to be effective when in flower.
I have planted a row of espalier apples interspersed with rambling roses – which has become
their 'salad bar'.
Finally -scare tactics, like throwing rocks, spraying water, running after the deer through the woods
like a mad-woman and yelling out wildly, can clearly convince the deer that you are quite off your
rocker, and will possibly deter them for awhile – including your neighbours too!

Sheila Harris:

There is so much to know about the history and naming of roses ­
More than fifteen thousand rose species and cultivars are grown worldwide – thousands more are extinct, yet they live on in old nursery catalogues, books and journals. Every one of these has its own distinctive name given perhaps by the person who first picked it for a sweetheart , a botanist who dissected it long ago, a horticulturalist who nurtured it, or one of the innumerable others who felt a special kinship to a particular flower. Did you know that the that roses’ names often vary from country to country and that the world of naming is one of complicated and fiercely guarded copyrights and patents?
South Carolina rice planter John Champneys can hardly have known when he happened to cross Rosa moschata with the China rose Old Blush around 1802, that the result would beget an important new class of roses, the Noisettes. Nonetheless, he took pride in his lovely seedling and called it Champneys’ Pink cluster. This novelty caught the eye of Philippe Noisette, a French nurseryman based in Charleston, South Carolina, who soon bred variations on Champneys’s rose and sent them to his brother-cum-business partner in Paris who cannily introduced them as ‘Noisette’ roses. Early nineteenth-century Americans protested that these roses should properly be called Champneyana. New York nurseryman William Prince entered the fray in 1846 writing ‘The origin of the first varieties of this remarkable group has been announced erroneously to the world by various writers, arising first, from the want of candour on the part of the late Philippe Noisette ..’ Wrongly or not, Noisettes they remain.
Things can happen in reverse too.
To the amazement of beachcombers in East Hampton, New York, early one morning in 1842, churning breakers heaved cases of champagne, bolts of bright fabric, and crate-loads of potted trees and bushes onto the sand. As the sun burned through the fog and mist, the source of this motley treasure came into view: a tall-masted ship, the clipper Louis Philippe, bound from Le Havre to New York City, which had run around off Long Island’s Medox Beach. The crew had tossed all cargo overboard to lighten the still-seaworthy vessel, in hopes of easing it back into deep water. Amid the flotsam were precious French rose plants, quite possibly ordered by Samuel Parsons, a prominent nurseryman in Flushing, New York. Shipwrecks were all too familiar a hazard in his line of work. As Parson wrote later, ‘We have frequently lost in this way two-thirds or three-quarters of an importation to our great annoyance and expense’. He would have taken little comfort from reports that roses off the Louis Philippe survived their saltwater swim and found succour in nearby gardens.
The Shipwreck rose passed down by cuttings and transplants throughout many generations, still grows in gardens throughout eastern Long Island. In 1953, the regional historian Jeannette Edwards Rattray first identified this fragrant light pink double-flowered plant by the alias Louis Philippe, Although it is definitely none of the three pedigreed roses then sold in France as Louis Philippe, rosarians have concluded that the Sag Habour Shipwreck rose is in fact Celsiana, a Dutch damask introduced to France before 1732.
.
Dr Huey really gets around. In Brooklyn, New York for instance, this local denizen is often seen lounging against stoops, crowding doorways and leaning over concrete grottos that house statues of the Virgin Mary. Ninety miles east of there, upscale Hamptons nurseries sometimes tag the same plant ‘Long Island Red’, claiming to have found it on old estates and price it at $350 a pop. From the rush of buyers you’d have thought that they were hawking heirloom Tiffany sterling. Sure, the rose is beautiful – but only for a day or two. Then heat and humidity leave the velvety flowers hanging like rags, their limp petals the colour of dried blood. This is Dr Huey, undercover agent of the rose world. Though a flop in the bloom department, the basic plant is so tough that many nurseries use it as the root stock onto which they graft less hardy yet better-looking cultivars. Only the fancy cultivar up top gets an ID on the label a customer sees. Most of the time Dr Huey is the rootstock that dares not speak its name, though the truth may emerge willy-nilly. That’s what happened to one Brooklyn garden owner: after negligent pruning or a rough winter did in her pink Royal
Highness, stubborn Dr Huey sent up suckers from below and flowered in its place ‘Why have my roses turned red?” she asked a rosarian. He gently explained that her roots were showing.
Lets get closer to home –
And again referring to sub-rosa, as Heather has already, the custom for roses to be hung above the dining tables to remind guests that they must not repeat anything said in confidence -It was said that Queen Elizabeth I wore a rose behind her ear to indicate royal discretion (a custom that Elizabeth II must have prayed, more than once, her own family would adopt). The symbolism persists in the names of modern roses such as Dark Secret an American hybrid tea, Discretion, a salmon pink French hybrid tea, Harmonia Sub Rosa, a pink and white French hybrid tea.

Wonderfully inspiring stories have influenced the naming of French roses..
An heroic maiden from French Revolutionary days lives on in Mademoiselle de Sombreuil, a creamy white tea rose and Sombreuil, a white climber. During the September massacres of 1792, a Paris
mob dragged the young woman’s aged father, a former government official, from his prison cell for
summary execution. When Marie-Maurille rushed forward to plead for his mercy, swearing that the marquis opposed the Royalist cause in spite of his noble title, the throng demanded that she affirm solidarity with the common man by drinking the blood of slain aristocrats. She swallowed a full glass of this grisly draft without flinching, and her father was spared. Her death, in 1823, moved Victor Hugo to pen an ode to her filial sacrifice.
Roses have also led to devious deeds ­In 1959 a so called ‘rose specialist’ in Mentor. Ohio, began selling plants of Sombreuil– as his own new cultivar ‘Colonial White’, complete with a bogus genealogy. By the 1980s perplexed gardeners had begun to ask why their Colonial White looked and behaved exactly like Sombreuil. An investigation by the Heritage Rose Foundation finally pinpointed the source of this mix up but not the Ohioan’s motives. Speculation about that enigma continues to spin long threads of postings, and even hate e-mail, on rose Web sites. Fortunately, thanks to greater vigilance throughout the rose world, such scams are increasingly rare.
The English York and Lancaster
The earliest English King to wear the white rose as his badge was Henry III
(His father had jauntily sprigged his helmet with a broom flower, planta genesta in Latin, source of the surname Platagenet) Through his son Edward I the white rose descended to the House of York, but Edward’s younger brother, Edmund, founder of the House of Lancaster, wanted a rose too. The flower he snagged whilst on a mission in France – almost certainly Rosa gallica Officinalis – was just the ticket, a showy crimson bloom with a glamorous background, having reputedly come from exotic Syria.
Nine generations later, after copious bloodshed on both sides, the white rose and the red retracted their thorns for a strategic compromise: the marriage in 1486 of Elizabeth, Duchess of York, to Henry VII of the House of Lancaster. Henry’s politic choice of badge a stylized flower dubbed the Tudor rose after his surname which paired the white and red petals. Early in the reign of Henry’s granddaughter Elizabeth I a bicolour rose came to be known as York and Lancaster. In 1551 the Spanish physician and botanist Nicolas Monardes wrote a faithful description of the flower still grown today as York and Lancaster or Rosa damascena Versicolour citing ‘irregularly shaped flowers, that may be pure red or pure white, or part red and part white. Flowers of these different colourings may, and often do, appear on the same bush at the same time.’ Even now this plant looks like a fulfilment of the hope voiced by Henry Tudor in Shakespeare’s Richard III, We will unite the white rose and red – Smile heaven upon this fair conjunction.
Just a few words on the history of a few of my roses –
Iceberg – comes from Germany where it is called Schneewittchen or Snow White and incidentally is the only rose grown in the garden of the 1st Lady in the White House.
Pierre de Ronsard roses symbolise fleeting amours in Rondard’s sonnet ‘Roses and other works’. Mary Queen of Scots presented the poet a silver rose as a token of admiration – but for some reason in the US this lovely rose goes by the prosaic name ‘Eden 88’.
Albertine – the highly influential rose Rosa wichuraiana from China which arrived in Europe during the 1860s and has very vigorous stems of 20ft or more, dark shiny foliage with a profusion of single white flowers. It has contributed a great deal to some of our finest climbers and ramblers – the still ubiquitous Alberic Barbier and the copper-leaved and pink-bloomed Albertine as prime examples.
Gertrude Jekyll – is one of the more fragrant results of the breeding programme by David Austin and has proved to be a much more efficient producer of rose oil than Rosa damascena and it has the great advantage of blooming for a much longer period. Since the coronation of Elizabeth I, British sovereigns have been anointed with a holy oil which contains rose oil (or Attar of Roses) of British origin – unfortunately at the coronation of Elizabeth II it was found that the flask of the oil had been damaged when Westminster Abbey had been hit in the blitz – this has helped the microbiologist Peter Wilde to develop a new process to obtain this precious oil. Whereas traditional processing still leaves the petals as a wet mush and in a state only fit to be used as compost. Wilde’s process leaves them dry and quite unblemished so that they could be used as a base for pot pour7ri or other products such as rose-petal pillows.


 

COMPANION  PLANTING FOR ROSES

 sources :

http://gardening.about.com/od/rose1/a/Rose_Companions.htm

http://legacy.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20070415/news_lz1hs15compan.html

http://www.dianeseeds.com/companion-plants/roses.html

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art11747.asp

http://www.northcoastgardening.com/2009/04/dr-leda-horticulture-companion-plants/

                What makes a good companion for roses?

Plants, like people, are searching for partners that will bring out their best qualities and share their space with equanimity—neither overpowering nor paling in comparison.

There are several considerations when choosing suitable plant companions: aesthetics, growing conditions, and plant health. Plant companions should both look good together and require similar growing conditions. Another component of companion planting, one often referred to in organic gardening, is selecting companions that ward off pests, improve the soil, or in other ways have a beneficial effect on plant health.

A great resource  on this subject is “Jackson & Perkins Rose Companions, Growing Annuals, Perennials, Bulbs, Shrubs and Vines with Roses”, by Stephen Scanniello. Formerly rose curator at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Scanniello offers expert advice on how to create a stunning garden with roses and companions plants, or, as stated in his introduction, “how to get roses to play well with others”.

Texture, color, and form are all important in the aesthetics of companion planting. Plants with tall spires complement the wide, cup-shaped flowers of roses, while perennials and shrubs with pale green, silver, or purple leaves accentuate the sumptuous rose blossoms. Companion planting can also extend the flowering season by providing color between the main flushes of rose bloom in early summer and fall.

Some plants just seem to be made for each other. The feathery purple and blue-gray catmint (Nepeta) offsets any pale pink rose beautifully, and its wispy spires gracefully camouflage any blemishes that may occur on the rose’s foliage. While the tops of roses are nice and lush, the bottoms can become leggy and sparse. Good rose companions are those that hide their bare legs. Traditionally, lavender (Lavandula), catmint (Nepeta), lady’s mantle (Alchemilla), and tall growing pinks (Dianthus) all make good partners. Good companions also act as living mulches—suppressing weeds and lightly shading the soil, keeping their roots nice and cool.

Good rose companions should enjoy the same growing conditions but not compete too aggressively with the roses. Roses do best in full sun and well-drained soil, and so should their companions. Plants that are too aggressive may crowd the roses and absorb too much water and nutrients from the soil.

Many sun-loving annuals such as heliotropes (Heliotropium), summer-snapdragon (Angelonia), lantana (Lantana), verbena (Verbena) and million bells petunia (Calibrachoa) hold up well throughout the summer and fill the space among roses nicely. They all have modest water requirements and will benefit from the heavy feeding regime that roses demand.

Good companions are said to enhance one another’s growth or, in some way, protect each other from harm. Some companion plants may help discourage pests without the use of chemicals since there are natural substances in their leaves, flowers, or roots that repel insects. Roses love garlic is a popular expression. In fact, members of the onion family such as chives, ornamental alliums, and edible onions, are rumored to increase the perfume of roses, ward off aphids, and prevent black spot.

Herbs and other aromatic plants make wonderful rose companions. Scented geraniums (Pelargonium), rue (Ruta), feverfew (Tanacetum), parsley (Petroselinum), and thyme (Thymus) all may help ward off Japanese beetles and aphids. Marigolds (Tagetes) may also repel pests and encourage growth. Try ornamental and culinary sage (Salvia), anise-hyssop (Agastache), Russian-sage (Perovskia), lavender (Lavandula), yarrow (Achillea), oregano (Origanum), catmint (Nepeta) and calamint (Calamintha). Oddly enough, tomatoes allegedly prevent black spot, but not many people will be inclined to combine roses and tomatoes. Lavender (Lavandula) and catmint (Nepeta) are good at keeping rabbits away. Four-o’ clocks (Mirabilis) and larkspur (Consolida) are said to act as decoys by attracting rose-loving Japanese beetles to eat their poisonous leaves. Yarrow (Achillea) may attract ladybugs who in turn feed on aphids.

Remember to plant rose companions at least one foot away from your roses so that you do not disturb their roots.

Create a healthy open structure for your roses with good pruning practices. Always maintain good air circulation around your plants to help prevent attacks from pests and diseases. With proper care of your roses, you will be able to surround them with many interesting companions.

Some advice and examples by garden designers :

The late great English gardener and writer, Christopher Lloyd, was notorious for his dislike of roses in landscapes. He disdained the “bare legs” of exposed rose canes when leaves aged and dropped off.

This is a common condition of hybrid tea roses, those lovely long-stemmed beauties with elegant, high centered flowers. Too frequently, the lower one-third to one-half of the plant is “naked.”

There's another way to solve the problem other than banishing them from gardens. Camouflage their defects with attractive plants around them. There are many options.

Doug Kalal, a Tierrasanta landscape designer, uses companion plants in four ways.

Where there's room for background shrubs or trees, he adds glossy green foliage plants like variegated privet.

Second, where an area may be too shady or have some other problem, he'll use an easy care plant like Salvia chiapensis, which blooms well even in part shade.

In between roses, to capture vertical space, Kalal includes irises, gladiolas, bedding dahlias and other plants grown from bulbs, tubers or corms.

Finally, in front of borders, he includes low-growing bedding plants that provide color and texture. His favorites include floss flower (Ageratum houstonianum) and Agapanthus 'Peter Pan' to bring blue into the landscape design.

Tom Carruth, director of research for Weeks Roses in Rancho Cucamonga, plants bulbs between roses so when they aren't in bloom in February and March, flowering bulbs are. He disdains paperwhites because they're too invasive; instead he favors 'Tete-a-Tete,' a yellow dwarf daffodil that will perennialize in Southern California.

He also likes Japanese 'Red Giant' mustard among roses. “Chocolate leaves with lime-green veins add a nice decorative touch and the plants are edible, too,” he said.

He includes edible herbs such as 'Kent Beauty' oregano, which spreads under rose bushes without being an invasive pest like mint. Other favorite herbs are catmint and dwarf catnips (Nepeta) because of their attractive gray-green foliage.

Ingrid Rose takes an ornamental approach and likes to create vignettes with a rose plant as the featured element.

For example, she'll place a tall variety, like the deep pink Eden Rose hybrid tea in a grouping with skyflower (Duranta) or Hebe 'Veronica Lake' for a purple-pink color combination. She also likes Midnight Mexican sage (Salvia leucantha 'Midnight') as a background for the deep pink Romantica rose Yves Piaget or David Austin's Gertrude Jekyll, both selected for their strong fragrance. She completes the vignette with pink or white star clusters (Pentas lanceolata) that edge the border.

Other frequently used companions are Shasta daisies, especially 'Marconi' for its double form flowers; asters, Miss Pinky pinks (Dianthus 'Miss Pinky); Jolly Bee geranium; Icicles licorice plant (Helichrysum 'Icicles'); and Miss Jessup's Upright rosemary. All are top picks for silvery or gray foliage and showy flowers.

Sun lovers preferred

When choosing companion plants, select those with similar horticultural requirements as roses – lots of sunshine, abundant water and regular fertilizer. When you tend the roses, you can also take care of the others at the same time. If you use edible plants, avoid spraying the landscape with chemical fungicides or insecticides.

There are some additional precautions, according to Carruth. Avoid plants that can form competing root systems, especially day lilies.

“Use only dwarf varieties and be sure they're at least a foot away from the roses,” he said. “Bulbs from South Africa, African corn lily (Ixia), baboon flower (Babiana) and harlequin flower (Sparaxis), add interesting color, including blue, and will naturalize. But stay away from watsonia, which grows too tall and thick. It's a thug."

Be sure that spreading plants don't smother the base of the rose plant. Too much moisture and not enough sunlight can weaken the plant and inhibit new cane growth.

You can plan your garden so there are flowers and attractive foliage throughout the year, with roses as the leading ladies. You can even add a little whimsy to your garden by following Rose's recommendation.

She sometimes use groupings of low-growing, fleshy succulents like sedums with pronounced rosettes in raised beds with low walls.

“They're a nice little surprise,” she said.

How to proceed ?

Remember to choose perennials, annuals, shrubs and vines that have similar needs to your roses. You want full sun plants that either need or don’t mind some supplemental ground water. It’s always best to choose plants that are generally pest and disease free as well. Roses require a decent amount of additional care. You don’t want to add a perennial or shrub that needs as much work as your roses. If you’re going to do that you might as well plant more roses!

Stand back and look at your rose bed. What does it need? How much space is available in the bed for additional planting without crowding the roses? If your beds are fairly full, ground cover in front of your roses can add fullness and interest without decreasing air circulation. There are creeping varieties of Sedium that would make an excellent ground cover. Many herbs also make wonderful companion plants to your roses. Why not consider a creeping Thyme or creeping Rosemary? Lambs Ear is easy to care for and can add a different texture to your flowerbed.

Vines are another area where you can add to an already full rose bed. Clematis is a classic for a rose companion plant. This could be beautiful climbing up a fence, deck or arbor behind your rose. Yellow Carolina Jessamine is another excellent vine choice. If you can obtain seeds, the annual Hyacinth Bean vine can be a beautiful purple accent behind a yellow or red rose.

If you need additional fullness around your roses themselves, there are many options. Salvia is disease resistant and an excellent companion rose plant. Salvia grows from 18 inches to 5 feet so a variety is out there that’s just right for your flower bed. Black Eyed Susan and Coneflower can also be attractive disease resistant choices. Choosing plants that attract butterflies and birds can lower your aphid and beetle populations as well. If you do choose to spray your roses make sure you keep any spray off your new insect and bird attracting perennials.

If your bed lacks structure and you have a lot of empty space, consider some small to medium sized shrubs. Ensure they aren’t going to shade your roses once they’re fully grown, so you don’t have to move the plants later. English Boxwood stays small, selecting ones that stay around two or three feet can add formal interest without crowding your garden. A choice that attracts butterflies would be Lantana. Lantana comes in many sizes and in a variety of colors as well. Lantana can be trimmed, but generally they give a free and natural look to the rose garden. Dwarf Yaupon Hollies are also attractive. They offer a finer textured leaf patterned than most hollies, which can work well with roses.

Supplementing your rose garden with companion plants offers endless opportunities for garden design. You can make your rose garden have an English garden feel or a modern edgy look just by adding different companion plants. Your rose garden will not only be a healthier place, it will be more eye catching as well.

 Here a just a few suggestions:

                Good Plant Partners:

·       Perennials

·       Anise-hyssop (Agastache)

·       Bellflower (Campanula)

·       Catmint (Nepeta)

·       Blue false-indigo (Baptisia)

·       Garden phlox (Phlox)

·       Globe thistle (Echinops)

·       Geraniums (Geranium)

·       Germander (Teucrium)

·       Lady’s mantle (Alchemilla)

·       Lavender (Lavandula)

·       Lilies (Lilium)

·       Meadow sage (Salvia)

·       Ornamental onions (Allium)

·       Red hot poker plant (Kniphofia)

·       Russian-sage (Perovskia)

·       Sea-holly (Eryngium)

·       Spurge (Euphorbia)

·       Wormwood (Artemisia)

·       Yarrow (Achillea)

·       Shrubs

·       Blue mist shrub (Caryopteris)

·       Boxwood (Buxus)

·       Daphnes (Daphne)

·       Red-twig dogwood (Cornus)

·       Smokebush (Cotinus)

·       Spirea (Spiraea)

·       Annuals

·       Annual phlox (Phlox)

·       Four o’clock (Mirabilis)

·       Heliotrope or cherry pie (Heliotropium)

·       Lantana (Lantana)

·       Larkspur (Consolida)

·       Million bells (Calibrachoa)

·       Pansies (Viola)

·       Persian shield (Strobilanthes)

·       Summer snapdragon (Angelonia)

·       Flowering tobacco (Nicotiana)

Partners according to colour :

Blue or Purple:

Asperula orientalis

Campanula 'Brantwood'

Campanula 'Telham Beauty'

Campanula rotundifolia

Centaurea 'Blue Boy'

Cleome 'Violet Queen'

Cynoglossum amabile

Delphinium & Larkspur

Hesperis matronalis 'Violet'

Lavander 'Lady'

Malva 'Zebrina'

Nigella

Penstemon strictus

Salvia 'Blue Spires'

Salvia 'Violet Queen'

Salvia viridis

Sweet Pea

Verbena

Purplish-Pink:

Cleome

Cosmos

Dianthus carthusianorum

Digitalis 'Glittering Prizes'

Gypsophila pacifica

Lavatera 'Pink Beauty'

Nicotiana mutabilis

Salvia 'Rose Queen'

Sweet Pea 'Janet Scott'

Salmon-Pink:

Digitalis mertonensis

Lavatera 'Silver Cup'

Poppy 'Coral Reef'

Salvia 'Coral Nymph'

Crimson Red:

Cosmos 'Tet Versailles Red'

Dianthus barbatus 'Ruby Moon'

Knautia macedonica

Lychnis coronaria

Scarlet Red:

Geum chiloense

Lychnis chalcedonica

Papaver rhoeas

Penstemon 'Iron Maiden'

Salvia 'Lady in Red'

Gold & Orange: 

Coreopsis 'Sunray'

Cosmos sulphureus

Daylilies (a variety of colors)

Eschscholzia californica

Oenothera 'Sunset Boulevard'

Poppy 'Double Tangerine Gem'

Yellow:

Antirrhinum braun-blanquettii

Digitalis grandiflora

Geum 'Lady Stratheden'

Lilies (a variety of colors)

Oenothera 'Lemon Sunset'

White:

Alyssum 'Carpet of Snow'

Campanula persicifolia 'Alba'

Cleome 'Helen Campbell' 

Cosmos 'Psyche White'

Digitalis purpurea 'Alba'

Feverfew

Hesperis matronalis 'Alba'

Lavatera 'Mont Blanc'

Lychnis coronaria 'Alba'

Mirabilis jalapa 'Alba'

Nicotiana

Shasta Daisy

Unusual Colors and Foliage Plants:

Agastache 'Golden Jubilee'

Bronze Fennel

Bupleurum rotundifolium

Digitalis 'Silver Fox'

Digitalis trojana

Eryngium 'Miss Wilmott's Ghost'

Mexican Feather Grass

Ruta graveolens

Salvia argentea

Recommended Reading:

Landscape with Roses by Jeff Cox

“Jackson & Perkins Rose Companions, Growing Annuals, Perennials, Bulbs, Shrubs and Vines with Roses”, by Stephen Scanniello

What should you avoid ? :

It's hard to find any information or testimony on bad companion planting with roses, should we think that it never happens? Or that gardeners are ashamed of their mistakes and won't tell ?

Anyway, this is the only testimony I found on this delicate topic :

from http://www.northcoastgardening.com/2009/04/dr-leda-horticulture-companion-plants/

When it comes to companion plants, the number one iron-clad rule is to avoid anything that has an invasive underground root system, such as bamboo. I live in Louisiana where we have hot, wet, tropical summers, and I’ve had several rose beds completely choked out by gorgeous emerald green Elephant Ear (Colocasia esculenta) and beautiful purple Ruellia Brittonia, both planted by former owners of the house. Their stealthy roots spread under lawns and walkways to get to those rich, fertile rose beds, where they destroyed the roses in one summer.

But there’s more to worry about than just invasive roots. Let’s take a look at some common but ruinous myths about companion plants and their unfortunate real-life consequences, some of which may have actually befallen someone we know. Note that in each of these cases, the cataclysmic companion plant meets all the conventional requirements with respect to cultural preferences, complementary appearance, and civilized root systems. And yet: bad juju abounds.

Myth #1: Roses and Morning Glories—what a great combination! There’s never enough blue in a rose garden. What could possibly be more striking than brilliant sapphire blossoms intertwined with climbing roses, or perhaps a magnificent cobalt backdrop behind a bed of pastel pink floribundas?

Fact: Morning Glories are voracious cannibals that will devour your roses and all surrounding real estate in one giant gulp.

Plant Morning Glories nearby and you’ll be lucky if you ever see your roses again before Thanksgiving. A rose strangled by these kudzulike vines will be deprived of sunlight and air circulation, which creates an ideal environment for fungal diseases. Plus, you’ll be fending off aggressive volunteers for the next three decades.

Myth #2: Planting Dinnerplate Hibiscus amongst the roses—a stroke of sheer genius! When the roses slow down in the intense summer heat, the huge dramatic Hibiscus moscheutos blossoms will pick up the slack. This way, there’s always an impressive show of color in the garden.

Fact: Planting Dinnerplate Hibiscus anywhere near roses is a stroke of sheer madness. Those brazen Dinnerplate hussies will overpower your demure little roses, blocking their sunlight and rendering them as exciting as a gaggle of high-collared, sensibly-shod nuns huddled beneath a beach umbrella on the Topless Riviera. For their sanity and yours: don’t do it.

Myth #3: Tomato plants are beneficial companions for roses, since their leaves contain a chemical that may act as an organic remedy for blackspot. When the two are planted close together, the roses will stay healthy, and, as an added bonus, we can harvest delicious vine-ripe tomatoes all summer!

Fact: You are going to regret this for years to come. The rapacious tomato plants will sprawl like an unzoned housing development; they’ll be all over your roses like a 25-cent Salvation Army suit. The tomatoes themselves will hang deep inside the rose bushes so anyone who tries to pick them risks losing an arm. And the volunteers will never, ever stop coming up for the next eight million years.

Myth #4: Those typical, ordinary plants that everyone grows in front of their roses are soooo boring. ‘Stella D’Oro’ daylilies, ‘May Night’ Salvias, Lambs Ears, Coreopsis. So what if they’re carefree, non-invasive, and bloom non-stop all summer? They look like the planting strip in front of a gas station.

Fact: Perhaps it behooves us all to get over the idea that anything which blooms all summer is boring. It’s time to retrain our eyes to see the simple beauty in those plain, ordinary, mundane, endlessly useful flowers at the strip mall.

Above all, never forget: the roses are the real stars of the show. They don’t like companion plants that steal their glory.