I don't underplant either. I like to get in there and work around the bushes also, fertilizing pruning and such other plants just get in my way. But I have the majority of my roses in flormal rose beds.

I don't either. If I find a volunteer annual or perennial in the rose beds I transplant it elsewhere. My rose beds are for roses!

I have garlic next to most of my roses and so far nothing else. I have daylilies on the outer edge of the beds and have placed some herbs along the edge too. But under my rose bushes I don't plant anything.

Deb

My beds are anything but formal. But, still, I don't under plant either. Oh, I have other plants in the same bed with the roses, and maybe from a distance, they look under planted, but I also like the emptiness around the base of my roses for hoeing, fertilizing, etc. I've found that under planting sometimes gets in the way. But I do keep clump perennials in the same beds, giving the beds a full and more informal look.

I love the informal English garden look. Unfortunately, I find formal rose beds rather boring and to put boxwoods around them doesn't really do anything for me either.

My "underplantings" aren't directly under the roses, as I like to have that space freed up for applying compost, manure, lots of mulch, etc. But I do have companion plants all throughout my rose garden.

Does anyone know of a spiky pointy nasty thing to underplant with so that my XX*%%?XXX chickens won't dustbath around and eventually on top of my newest smallest roses?

I don't underplant but do weave in a tapestry of irises, daylilies, tree peonies, clematis, perennial grasses, heucheras, liriope, asters, etc. I love an explosion of color.

I'm just starting to put other plants in with my roses. I like the cottage look, so I have to. I probably will not plant too close to the roses, but put the other flowers either in front or behind or in between the rose bushes. As things mature, it will sort out.

The one thing I don't like about roses is the bare look in winter/early spring.

We keep critters from digging into newly planted roses by laying pieces of wire fence on the ground. For the chickens, I'd make a hole in the middle for the rose and lay a piece of chicken wire down. We use the heavier stuff cuz we're trying to discourage raccoons, possums etc.

I haven't so far. Which isn't to say I won't eventually. But for now, my rose get all the attention :)

Bless you Steph. NO underplantings around my roses. None. Never. I always cringe when this topic comes up for discussion. IMHO, if you're truly serious about growing roses to be all that they can possibly be, you don't underplant. Period. End of discussion.

LMAO, never considered myself a serious rose grower. Thanks for the laugh!

I am with Dave. Never considered myself serious rose grower :). I always underplant. It looks so much better for me, when no soil/mulch is visible. Different flowers and leaves compliment each other so well.
It is good that we all like different things. It would be boring if we would all do things the same way.
Olga

Not to rain on your parade, but roses are healthier when planted among other plants. A diverse planting helps diminish or prevent diseases and insects, providing homes for many beneficials, as well as minimizing or eliminating weeds. Grow 'em any way you prefer, but don't kid yourself that they're better producers grown alone.

Sue

Even David Austin plants hedges around his formal rose gardens so that the lower canes don't show...

I can't think of anything uglier than rose canes with no leaves or flowers just sitting there coming out of the dirt.

I have to plant things in front of them, daylilies, lavender, salvia, miniature roses, daisies, anything to cover up them legs...

At our formal rose garden in town there is nothing planted with the roses... but then again there is no house, no pathways, just clumps of roses with name tags... It's great to see how each rose grows in comparison to each other, but I don't want my house looking like that...

Here is the third "non-serious" :-)) rose grower who cannot visualize a rose bed without companion plants. Consequently I have many, many perennials, some annuals and lots of bulbs in all of my rose beds.

I've got both ways. It depends on the spot. However I don't have anything so close to the rose I can't get in there to the base.

My rose bed in the back started out very formal line along a fence, but extra perennials and divisions got tossed in there too so it is no longer neat and formal and more of a mess now. But those plants have to go somewhere and the front garden was full!

I don't underplant either.I like to be able to get at the roses to dig in fertilizer around them.I do have a few daylilies planted near or in between roses, but nothing under them,as yet.

Jean

I am a SERIOUS rose gardener. I have over 1600 roses, so you can't get any more serious than that! I don't do "formal" gardening. I like eclectic, and informal, and cottage gardening. And I LOVE having all sorts of other plants all around my roses. Some do get overpowering and invasive, but they certainly help to keep the weeds down. They also provide much needed protection from the scorching sun beating on the lower canes. I can't tell you how many roses I have lost over the yrs from sunburn death. The perennials and bulbs help divert a lot of the heat from my roses and have saved me from losing them.

Even though roses have the lead roles in my garden, I could not imagine it with all the other plants. I don't underplant, but there are companion plants: Clematis, perennials, annuals and bi annuals, bulbs all over. I do keep the area just underneath the roses free. But during the summer the other plants cover the feet of the roses. I awoid invasive plants or keep those who are in check. I do make rose beds in some of my clients gardens. I usually plant 7-21 roses of one variety in those and use box to surround them even though it takes 3-4 years for those to form a dense low hedge. But my favorite garden vignettes are those with lots of companion plants for the roses. Roses that do not fit into my color schemes or have awkward growths habit, but beautiful flowers goes to my cutting garden and I plant those closely together in rows. If I had a bigger garden I wished I had room for a big border with yellow, orange and orange/yellow blend roses.

Holy cow, Beth! 1600 roses!! How much room do you have there in NorCal?

It's good to see that I'm not the only one, but also good to see that there are alternatives to planting directly at the base of the roses, which I guess was what I envision when I hear the word underplant. The main reason that I don't do it in my current set-up is a space issue. The area that I have utilised is barely large enough to accomodate the roses that I have in there, much less planting other flowers so that I can still access the base of the roses. It's set up in two by two rose quadrants with a little pavered walking area between each pair of roses so I can easily get around them when they are mature. I can fit 2 climbers, 4 minis, and 8 shrub roses in the space, and not get beat up by thorns (yet; they are still young!). When we finish the backyard the roses will have MUCH more space, and it will be a much less formal setting where I can plant whatever I want, wherever I want. It's a 1/3 acre blank canvas. I'll be singing a different underplanting tune then, I'm sure!

I'm not sure I know what serious rose gardening is, but I probably don't fall into the category that practices whatever that kind of gardening might entail. However, I have to agree COMPLETELY with Stephanotis & the others who avoid underplanting.

In my climate, disease control is a constant concern. Beds dedicated solely to the growth of roses allow greater control over basic garden hygiene (for lack of a better term). My roses are much healthier now that I remove old mulch & lay new mulch twice a year (fairly easy since I use thick layers of pine straw). Scrating in fertilizers like Mills Magic, etc would be a real pain in the neck if I had to contend with other plantings. Also, I have a pinchant for moving roses around my garden (MUCH easier if underplantings aren't in the way).

As for the vaunted David Austin . . . Frankly, how he gardens in the British Isles is of no relevance and/or consequence to me whatsoever.

I think there is a serious misunderstanding here. "Underplanting" does not automatically mean that the plants are at the base of the rose canes/roots. I try to avoid that to be able to prune, fertilize, etc. the roses more often than other plants would need it. Of course, because (my) roses are fed more than other plants, many plants in the same bed tend to grow into the direction of the roses. If they turn out to be invasive plants, off they go; but alyssum, for example, would never hurt any rose (unfortunately it fades away in my climate as soon as we get very hot temps) and there are many other plants that work very well. I do plant a lot of things in front of the roses to hide naked legs and again, I plant perennials or bulbs between the roses for a variety of reason. For example, I love the color of blue, and blue  for me  has a cooling effect that I appreciate very much in my hot and humid climate while I have no desire to have a blue rose even if it was available. I donÂt like to see bare soil that is an invitation for weeds and I prefer filling in empty spots between roses. I also like to see plants blooming before roses start their season or after roses are done. Also, I feel that other plants provide different texture that is very important in a garden. Furthermore, I love a lot of plants even if roses are overwhelming in my garden.

In any case, a birdview photo of a mixed bed may create the illusion that every other plant is "underplanted" while it is not necessarily the case. But I find that illusion very appealing.

Those, it seems, who are against "underplanting" (whatever they mean by it) usually avoid or dislike it -as it became obvious from several posts - because they prefer 'formal' rose gardens that I abhor. But, different people, different strokes. I agree with Olga that the world would be a very boring, even frightening place if everybody had the same taste and therefore had the same garden design.