I don’t spray other than some peppermint oil and water to deter aphids. Definitely love companion planting with both veggies and flowers. Was reading garlic and roses are a match and run heaven. Thanks altorama!

Where, approximately, is your garden? Do you know your climate zone? That makes a HUGE difference re the advice folks could give you - contrary to popular belief, roses are very climate sensitive, and if you try to grow roses which hate your climate you will fail. On the other hand, if you grow roses which love your climate, you will succeed hugely.

Generally, I think growing roses around a veg garden is a great idea. This has been done historically all over the world. There is a road near Napa, CA which runs along several winery properties. One of the extensive properties has bushes of banksia roses growing at the end of each row of grape vines - right next to the highway. In the Spring the huge mounds of roses cover themselves in mostly yellow, and some white, blooms. This goes on for over 2 solid miles! Other wineries do the same thing - evidently it is an old "canary in the mine" type tradition - the roses would get symptoms of some diseases first and more noticeably, so that they could be stopped before infesting the grape vines. We need to know where you are. For example, some places in the South have hot summers with huge humidity, and mild winters. Some places in the West have hot summers with very low humidity, and mild winters. Some places in the NE have hot humid summers and freezing winters - all of that makes a difference re what kind of roses you can grow.

Jackie

Jackie, thanks for the input! I am 6a. That makes total sense. I have 10 different roses I’m getting in the ground this weekend so we will see how they do.

Altorama, I know you discussed seafoam the other day along with a couple other roses, do you have any more recommendations that are good for our zone?

I have a very small space and last yr we planted kale, broccoli , chard garlic and onions with the roses. I dont spray,, so they were all fine, sometimes it does look a bit messy, but that is ok with me.

If you are harvesting close to the roses, you may want to look into varies with less thorns. Enjoy!

As Jackie says, roses have been grown in vegetable gardens for centuries. The Apothecary's rose was grown in herb and vegetable gardens as a crop. You can use the petals in jams and candies, and the hips of roses are also valuable for making jams and teas. If you choose old Gallicas like the Apothecary's rose, be advised that they sucker (kind of like raspberries). So you'll want to keep an eye on how big the patch gets. There are some varieties that do this more vigorously than others, so if in doubt search this forum or ask. For hips look at Rugosa roses or Rosa pomifera. For petals to use in jam consider a damask rose like Kazanlik or another very fragrant rose (I use David Austin's Gertrude Jekyll and get great results). You can espalier/peg your roses against the fence, training their canes out horizontally (but the deer will probably prune the back sides of them for you).

Where in Z6? OK is very different from southern Ohio. You can add this info to your name btw.

Mrs Gartin - now that we know you are 6a, I will not try to give you advice (because I garden in zone 9/10), except to advise that you take specific advice ONLY from someone who gardens in the same zone, hopefully nearby. Do you have a Rose Society near you? That is where I would go first.

Jackie

Hardy to the tip for me:

Blush Hip

Darlow's Enigma

Ghislane De Feligonde

Lillian Gibson

Glenn Dale

Seafoam

Glory of Edzell

Gerbe Rose

Complicata

Unique Panache

Nymphe Egeria

Geschwind's Orden

That's Jazz

Harison's Yellow

Veilchenblau

I know I am forgetting some, I will have a look outside tomorrow.

Have a look at the Explorer Roses

https://www.helpmefind.com/gardening/l.php?l=8.6032&tab=21

I would put the roses on the inside of the fence to save heartache. Good luck, sounds lovely.

It’s what I’ve done...I like to mix it all up. I think the poly culture method is much healthier. I’m not in your zone (I agree with Jackie; try to find someone close to home) but I think you can be successful in your zone too. I would say the most important considering would be water needs...keep those in mind when grouping plants. Thorniness does make harvesting more difficult. Perennial veggies can be tucked in closer than annuals or tubers which need digging up. Good luck!! :-)