Mulching and "ground cover" are rather conflicting propositions. Ground covers may keep the soil moister during hot weather...IF they aren't so massively rooted they rob all the nutrients and water from the soil. I use the petty spurge weed here as a "ground cover" because it self seeds all over; grows extremely vigorously; pulls easily when and where it isn't wanted; is toxic and gets tall enough to shade new, tender growth from too hot sun and hides it from the blamed "bunnies" who LOVE to eat the basals. The seeds exist in the soil naturally; they blow in on the wind and hitch hike on animals (and people) wandering through. It grows readily in any kind of mulch I put down and knocks itself off in late summer, when it's usually time to renew the mulch, by rusting. Then, I either bury it under new shredded stuff or pull it up and toss it on the weed piles in the paths to break down and keep me from stepping in mud after I water. It isn't "pretty" some of the time but it survives and does the trick. And, it costs me NOTHING. If you have a nice, dense, thick ground cover and you want to mulch, not only to conserve moisture but to add more organics to the soil as they digest, break down, you either have to pull up the ground cover or bury it. Something annual, like the alyssum, you can simply shake the removed plants over the areas you wish to inoculate with the seeds and it takes care of itself for you. Thyme would either be buried or you would have to replant it. Don't mess with the more invasive herbs such as oregano. That stuff is like a smelly Bermuda Grass. It escaped from one of my raised terraces where I had planted it for cooking and is as much a pest as the Matilija Poppy which escaped from a container I didn't get planted soon enough. Now, that monster is running all over and is due for some herbicide very shortly.. You also have to keep in mind that if you plant anything around or in your rose beds you may want to eat, any and everything you use on your roses will also be in or on what you intend to eat. I had a customer once who grew strawberries as the ground cover under her roses. She complained how oddly they tasted, never thinking the Bayer Systemic and other things she sprayed the roses with were in and on the berries. Some people just don't have a clue about these things. Another, years ago, complained how the Chrysler Imperial rose we sold here in the US wasn't the same she had grown in Israel where she previously lived. There, the petals added the rose water taste and scent to her cooking she enjoyed. Here, they were bitter tasting. I asked her if she was using systemics on the rose. Yup. Whatever you use for the roses will be in the rest of the plants, too. Kim This post was edited by roseseek on Sun, Mar 9, 14 at 16:40

On the other hand, I find the scent of society garlic to be unendurably offensive. It is widely planted here because nothing bothers it and it is drought tolerant. However I find myself holding my breath while passing as quickly as I can. True garlic does not exude any scent unless brushed, and even then is not as unpleasant as society garlic. Society garlic casts its odor far and wide. It may not bother everyone, but I personally make it a point to avoid any garden where it is planted. I'm having trouble thinking of a plant I dislike more. Poison oak would fit the bill. Some years back I experimented with using garlic chives in the rose garden. I changed my mind because it spread enthusiastically and started choking out plants I preferred. It has been ten years now since I removed it, and I am still pulling out plants each year. Be careful with this one. No offensive smell, but it is very tenacious. I would not plant tomatoes with roses. I've tried it, both on purpose and accidentally when seeded in the garden, probably by a passing bird. Tomatoes are far too robust to play nicely with roses and later in the season start shading them. Then when you pull them out in the fall you are left with a big empty space. Pumpkins and squashes are even more this way. Yes, I gave that a try a few years ago also. The squashes did quite well. The ornamental plants suffered greatly. Like you, I experimented with the whole edible landscaping concept, mixing food plants with ornamentals in the same beds. It simply did not work well for me and I have pretty much abandoned it. What does work reasonably well is to intermingle roses with some of the herbs. It's very traditional, too, since roses used to be planted in physic (medicinal) gardens. You could try parsley, sage, and thymes. (I almost feel as though I'm singing the old song). Lavender, too. All are pretty and do not spread other than some casual reseeding, easily controlled. Avoid mints and most artemesias, as they will travel underground aggressively. Be aware that roses prefer more water than some of these herbs do, so the herbs are likely to be short lived if the roses are getting enough water. If you are using drip irrigation you could work it so that the rose gets more water. Anyway, have fun! Rosefolly

About little plants growing right up to the base of my roses, I wouldn't worry about bugleweed's competing with roses for water. My roses are deep rooted, possibly because of minimal watering and deep soil, and even violets don't cause them any problems, and I would guess that violets are a lot more invasive than bugleweed. But I have been wondering about whether herbaceous plants in contact with the canes aren't promoting the cankers that so plague many of my roses. I've become more diligent about keeping the bases of the roses clean since this occurred to me.

I am not very adventurous but one combination has been very successful: maroon Greek scabious (Knautia macedonica) with pale yellow roses and perennials in the same pale yellow shade like the anthemis Isabelle mentions, Sauce Hollandaise, and also the varieties Wargrave and E.C. Buxton, and Digitalis grandiflora. It's a good weaver plant. I'm not sure blue would look good with it, though, unless it is a very dark blue. My blue irises bloom before the scabious in this bed and my blue campanulas are in other yellow beds. But it may work for you. Monochrome plantings can be dull. I have alchemillas everywhere, Perhaps I am overdoing them but I think they look good with almost all colours. I think ornamental grasses require something solid as a companion, large leaves or a stone, so I suggest planting hosta or heuchera in front of the clumps. Or even a box ball as a focal point or base for the planting. I am playing with a capercaillie in yew in the middle of my yellow rose bed. It's not very like yet but I am working on it!