There’s something timeless and romantic about a garden full of blooming roses. But if you want those blooms to be as healthy and vibrant as possible, don’t stop at planting roses alone—look to companion planting. The right plants around your roses can naturally deter pests, enrich the soil, improve air circulation, and even make your flower beds more visually stunning. Whether you’re designing a dreamy cottage garden or simply trying to keep your blooms thriving without harsh chemicals, companion planting is a natural, effective, and beautiful solution. Below, we’ll share what to plant with roses—and exactly why they make such perfect neighbors.
1. Lavender: The Classic Rose Companion
Lavender and roses are a match made in garden heaven. Not only do they look enchanting together—the soft purples against romantic pinks or whites—but lavender is also a natural pest deterrent. Its strong scent helps ward off aphids and other common rose pests, all while attracting pollinators like bees and butterflies.
Bonus: Lavender thrives in similar conditions to roses—plenty of sun and well-draining soil—making care simple and streamlined.
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- Related article: The Best Uses of Lavender For Garden and Home
2. Catmint (Nepeta): Airy and Effective
This soft, sprawling perennial is another dreamy pairing. Catmint’s silvery foliage and bluish-purple flowers contrast beautifully with the structured elegance of rose blooms. Even better? It repels aphids, Japanese beetles, and ants—some of the biggest rose offenders.
Catmint also helps improve air circulation at the base of your rose bushes, which can help reduce fungal diseases like black spot or powdery mildew.
- Amazon Recommendation: Seed Needs, Catmint Seeds
3. Alliums: Underground Guardians
The entire allium family—onions, garlic, chives—can be powerful companions for roses. These bulbs release sulfur compounds that act as natural fungicides and pest repellents, discouraging aphids, rose slugs, and even black spot.
Chives in particular are a beautiful choice, with their grassy green leaves and pom-pom purple blooms. Plant them around the base of your rose bushes for a subtly layered look with big protective benefits.
- Related Article: The Best Low Maintenance Perennial – Millennium Allium
4. Marigolds: Bright, Bold, and Bug-Resistant
Don’t underestimate the humble marigold. These cheerful annuals are known for their natural insect-repelling properties—especially against nematodes and aphids. Marigolds can also draw beneficial insects like ladybugs and hoverflies, which prey on common rose pests.
Try planting a ring of marigolds around your roses for a golden burst of color and a natural shield against unwanted visitors.
- Amazon’s Choice: NatureZ Edge Marigold Seeds Mix
5. Geraniums: The Scented Shield
Scented geraniums (especially those with lemon or rose scents) can help repel Japanese beetles, which are notorious for feasting on rose leaves. Their delicate flowers and crinkled leaves add texture and fragrance to your garden—and they make beautiful fillers between rose bushes.
Geraniums are also low-maintenance and available in a wide variety of colors, perfect for customizing your garden palette.
6. Sage and Thyme: Fragrant Ground Covers
These aromatic herbs don’t just add flavor to your kitchen—they also offer major benefits to your roses. Both sage and thyme deter pests, improve airflow, and attract pollinators. Their low-growing habits make them excellent choices as living mulch, helping to suppress weeds and retain moisture.
Plus, there’s something undeniably enchanting about brushing past a thyme plant and releasing that soft herbal scent while checking on your roses.
- Amazon Recommendations: TKE Farms & Gardens – Thyme Seeds for Planting and Sow Right Seeds – Sage Seeds for Planting
7. Foxglove: The Height and Drama Factor
Want to add vertical interest to your rose beds? Foxgloves bring drama with their tall, bell-shaped blooms and thrive in partial shade—making them perfect for the back row of a rose garden.
They also attract pollinators like bees, which not only benefit your roses but help the whole garden thrive. (Just be mindful: foxglove is toxic if ingested, so avoid planting where pets or small children roam.)
- Amazon Recommendation: Seed Needs, Mixed Gloxiniaeflora Foxglove Seeds
8. Yarrow: Pollinator Magnet + Soil Booster
Yarrow is a low-maintenance, drought-tolerant perennial that boosts your soil and invites ladybugs, parasitic wasps, and hoverflies—all major aphid predators. Its feathery foliage and clusters of small blooms create a delicate backdrop for your showier roses.
Even better? Yarrow has deep roots that can help break up compacted soil, improving water flow and root health for nearby plants.
- Amazon Favorite: Seed Needs, White Yarrow Seeds
9. Sweet Alyssum: Soft, Low-Border Beauty
Sweet alyssum is the dainty, honey-scented ground cover that gives a rose bed a whimsical, storybook look. Its tiny blooms attract pollinators while also acting as a natural mulch to protect soil moisture and suppress weeds.
This companion plant is especially great in borders, spilling over paths or edges and softening the overall structure of a rose bed.
- Amazon’s Choice: Sow Right Seeds – Sweet Alyssum Flower Seed Collection for Planting
- Related article: The 10 Best Ground Cover Plants
10. Parsley: The Secret Superstar
Yes, parsley. This herb is often overlooked in ornamental gardens, but its benefits are real. Parsley attracts hoverflies and tachinid flies, both of which prey on pests that bother roses. Its lacy green leaves add a touch of softness to the base of rose bushes and grow well in partially shaded spots nearby.
Plus, who doesn’t love a multi-tasking plant you can use in the kitchen too?
- Amazon Recommendation: Sow Right Seeds – Flat Leaf Parsley Seeds
Natural Pest Control & Soil Enhancing Options:
In addition to planting the right companions, incorporating natural pest control methods like neem oil can help keep aphids and other rose-loving pests at bay. You might also consider organic compost or a high-quality rose fertilizer to enrich the soil and support healthier, more abundant blooms all season long.
Amazon Best-Sellers:
- Neem oil spray – Rose-safe, organic insect deterrent
- Compost or organic rose food – Keep those blooms big and beautiful
Companion planting with roses is about more than just beauty—though that’s certainly a bonus. It’s a holistic, natural way to create a thriving, balanced garden where everything supports each other. The right plant pairings can make your roses more resilient, less prone to pests and disease, and even more breathtaking than they already are.
Whether you’re planting lavender for its soothing scent, alliums for their pest protection, or catmint for its dreamy drape and contrast, your roses will thank you. And your garden? It will be buzzing, blooming, and bursting with life x
