Peppermint is not too aggressive. Rosemary, lavender, green onions, parsley, chives are good with roses. Basil likes a little more water.

I love feverfew with my roses. Oregano is good, too - and there are so many ornamental ones.
Anita

Lavender is one of the traditional herbs to go with the roses, though you have to be careful which kind you pick, since lavenders generally do not like wet and cold. I managed to grow wild lavender in my parents garden with similar conditions as yours, it wasn't as pretty as the ones in those fields in France, but oh well, the smell was proper at least.

Thyme should grow with no problem, just it tends to go bald in the middle, so I prefer to plant it one shrub at a time.
Alchemillas are nice and care free too - not exactly a herb, but fits the general picture.
Borage can be an option too, pretty blue flowers and tends to self seed.
Chamomile is nice for the tea and looks good.
Chives has garlic flavor and purplish flowers in spring, quite hardy too.
Then there is hyssop, small pinkish flowers, makes nice herb for seasoning, hardy as well.
Rosemary is another one, not sure about wintering though.
Sage is nice and quite easy to grow. Russian sage is pretty as well, nice neat blue stems.
Calendula is bright yellow/orange, nice for sore throat in the winter, also can self seed.
Caraway is nice for the seeds (good for digestion teas and spices), as well as dill if left to grow big.
Also asparagus, if left to grow, makes very pretty mist of foliage, it was actually used in the past to combine with the roses in the bouquets.
Primula veris is lovely in the spring.
Oenothera is yellow and rather tall, but it is a bit more on a weed side for me.
Melissa officinalis is another nice tea herb.
Savory is nice too, a bit similar to hyssop.

Also hop is rather decorative, especially if provided a place to climb.

I like the artemesias---not too invasive and their grey-green colors make a nice contrast to the deep greens and colors of the flowers.

Nepeta is a classic, as are the annual and perennial sages. For beauty culinary sage is as lovely as any, though it has a short flowering season. I like Nepetella, too, especially the white flowered variety. These are deer repellent.

Stachys (lambs ears) goes well also, as do the santolinas, green and gray leaved. The green santolina has pom pom-like flowers of a beautiful pastel yellow shade that would really flatter a dark rose like Cardinal Richelieu. Don't know if these are strictly potpourri herbs, though -- more like moth repellents. Alternatively, nothing would be nicer to set off a rose such as the Cardinal than the silvery foliage of artemesias, another pungent.

I think the annual plectracanthuses are worth replanting every year, especially the silvery kind, and the little herbal marigolds.

Another annual, one that reseeds, is love-in-a-mist -- nigella, the seeds of some varieties of which are used for seasoning. Nigellas are subtle enough not to upstage the roses.

Antique irises also go well for the same reason. Some of these were used to make orris root, a potpourri fixative.

The herb teucreum is recommended as a box substitute in colder areas (though I have not had success in growing this myself).

Dianthus can be considered an herb if you stretch the definition. They used to be called "sops in wine." They also seem a natural as an old rose companion. Some of them have attractive glaucous leaves and the colors are in the same family.

I also think the various malvas, mallows, are appropriate with roses. They were grown medicinally at one time and re-seed agreeably.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:239516}}

Malvas indeed are quite nice, though not all self seed (thank Mother Nature, for I have about 10 different varieties in my garden, and those that do self seed are already taking over). They are a bit bigger plants though, something around 5'.

I think I must be the only person who grows this because it's never mentioned, but marjoram grows into a very nice shrub with tiny white flowers that bloom about six months or more for me here, which the bees are absolutely crazy about. It's very carefree and seems to keep rodents and bunnies away from its area. It has a silvery sheen to it, especially when it's blooming.

Ingrid

Wow, so many great ideas! Thank you all for the suggestions :)

I have had good luck with Hidcote english lavender. It doesn't mind all the water or clay soil, at least so far. I've thought about planting the "normal" perennial flowers that are shown in rose gardens, but I think the plants you've all mentioned will be much more fun and useful.

I grow marjoram, Ingrid! It is nice! Also, oregano, sages, thymes and lavender (but, the roses in the bed with the lavender and sage are on a drip irrigation system, so no problems with too much water).

My experience with peppermint was that it was far more aggressive a grower than spearmint was. I had both in pots, but the peppermint covered the more area, by far.

bronze fennel. I love the airy look to it and I use it in my arrangements. Regular fennel is nice, but I just love the color of the bronze fennel.

Good to know that Hidcote english lavender does not mind clay, I am struggling with my lavenders over here due to the heavy sea clay. They seem to like if I mix a lot of sand in the area where I plan to plant them though, so there is a hope. :)

I do not grow marjoram, but I like it as a spice in all sorts of meat pies, dumplings and similar dishes. Should make a note to obtain it next time I am set loose in the plant store. :D

Curleaf parsley looks good as ornament. Does not taste much so we use flatleaf Italian parsley for food seasoning but the other one is good for edging. Purple basil is a great ornamental edging plant for summer and since it requires lots of water it goes well with roses. Cardoon is a fantastic plant, very sculptural, usually tall so it should be planted between the roses and in midsummer the huge blue flowers are extra bonus - they sell the flowers in Pike Market in Seattle for quite a bit of money.

the umbelliferas are lovely with roses - coriander, angelica, chaerophylum, selinum, ammi, orlaya, chervil, caraway, wild carrot, meadowsweet, astrantias. Also mignonette, lemon verbena, sage (many types) prostrate rosemary, hyssop, thymes, - so many to choose and a lovely idea for planting with roses.

My favorite is Nepeta, and I think they do very well under and around my roses. I love their long blooming season and I think they give a nice soft edge to the roses. Plus I think the color goes so nicely with almost every color of rose.

I also love chives and use them in front of some of my roses as a border.

Feverfew is beautiful too with its delicate foliage, white and yellow flowers and long blooming season too.

This year I am going to try Borage and Thai Basil. I had the basil growing in my herb bed this past year and in bloom it is very pretty so I decided to try that in with my roses and perennial beds.

Fennel and dill attract Japanese caterpillars in this climate. Lots of defoliation problems. Spearmint tends to scorch in the summer here. Borage is real tasty. Swiss chard might work too. Shallots help deter the squirrels. If you have the drainage, thyme is really lovely with rose. Some of the tamer Louisiana Irises like Black Gamecock are also great with roses. Tansy also works great with roses and tolerates humidity better than feverfew.

In researching plants that attract beneficial insects many herbs are listed. One interesting thing that I read was if you plant parsley with roses it brings out the fragrance of the rose more. Don't know if that's true but what I read.
Nancy

Fennel and dill also attract the larva of beautiful butterflies, so at least here in the northern and central states they are a good garden addition.

I have heard that dill and fennel interbreed to the detriment of both. I hope this is not true since I like both a lot for culinary use. If I have to choose, I'd take dill, at least for foliage. But for the butterflies, fennel might be better, since it is more robust.

Mint is a rabid spreader in the PNW's moderate climate. I have mints of all kinds, but all in pots. Also avoid lemon verbena for the same reason. Perennial geraniums can become an invasive problem but the scented geraniums (lovely in preserves and teas) are another possibility. Other posters have covered much of what I would recommend.

Another lavender that is adapted over wider growing conditions is PROVENCE lavandin. It is taller than Hidcote English lavender so if that is a concern then you have another option.

No one mentions thyme? I have been using lemon thyme for years now. It spreads nicely under the roses. Maybe other types would be good too, I have not tried any yet.

You may not want to use the herbs for cooking though if you use any sprays!

Mints are good, but you have to keep after them, they spready quickly. Maybe not the best choice.

Lavender great, but I found it doesn't last long because the soil I grow my roses in is heavier than what lavender likes. (very well drained).

Catmint (walker's low) is very nice and a plus is hummingbirds love it.

Be careful of peppermint and spearmint. When I was in Upstate NY, they took over VAST areas!

Sandy

I grew Spanish Lavender, the one lavender that is tolerant of Florida rain & humidity, but I planted it in pure builder's sand (the same for rosemary). Both did great. Bronze fennel grew huge (as did the others), was stripped to bare wood by caterpillars, and grew back beautifully - twice. I love Lemon grass - tall, swishy, fragrant grass. I dug it up and moved it twice because it outgrew its space (almost too big to move by myself) and it kept on ticking. Hated to get rid of it but had to put the shed somewhere. Just bought fennel, oregano, marjoram, bush basil & Italian parsley, and plan to put them out among the roses so I'll let you know how they do here.

Sherry