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Please help me to plant something at the base of my climbing roses?

4 years ago

I have a lovely climbing rose called 'Amadeus' - It is situated in a garden bed and growing along a 10'ft wide fence. There is nothing else growing in the garden bed except for the roses, so it's not too pretty looking at all the dirt. There is plenty of soil to grow some other plants at the base of my climbers. I am looking for ideas on what to plant with my red roses. The area is about 10'L x 4' W.

Of course once I plant (whatever) I will need to add plenty of bark mulch. My roses are about 3 years old. Thanks everyone for your help.

Featured Answer

dianela7analabama

4 years ago

last modified: 4 years ago

Hello there. All the recommendations that have been poste here are fantastic. You just need to choose what would work for you. How bare are the legs of your roses? If they are too bare you may want to choose some of the taller companions to covered them up, otherwise you can use the smaller ones. I’ll look through my pictures of companions and post some. I have just recently started getting good companions into my bed so they aren’t as full and nice as the other gardeners here.

for the very front of the border some dianthus can be nice and evergreen. They come in many colors.

My all time favorite companion is Salvia. All kinds of salvia. May night and New dimensions rose salvias are everywhere in my garden.

the purple blooms go well with everything to my eyes and it is easy to grow. Lavender dies here in the wet clay soil.

Clematises will also scramble all over beds and add lots of color. Also don’t forget other roses. There are many polyanthas and hybrid musks or groundcover roses that can be added to the bed in front of your other roses.

drift roses are great for bordering beds

Here the hybrid musk Dr. Korms is covering the bare legs of Benjamin Britten.

Hybrid musk Ballerina covering the legs of the climber orchid masterpiece

Good luck!

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Comments (10)

Sheila z8a Rogue Valley OR
4 years ago
Rozanne perennial geranium is lovely. Russian Sage is taller but would also look great.
Garden Mist thanked Sheila z8a Rogue Valley OR
callirhoe123
4 years ago
A picture would be good.
Garden Mist thanked callirhoe123
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'Laguna' is vigorous and I do not think it would fit into a space that size. Mine is 15' wide and 10' tall. Also nasty wicked thorns. (Otherwise it is nice.) Generally low and wide works better as a support structure than tall and narrow. Low and wide enables you to fan the canes out at a somewhat horizontal angle, which encourages more flowers. It also makes them much easier to trim and deadhead when you can reach most or all of the rose. If you have never grown a climbing rose before try to select one that doesn't have too many thorns. They are a lot easier to work with. Look at 'Jasmina' instead of 'Laguna'. Maybe 'Berries n Cream'. But on that structure if it was mine I would put a Clematis, not a rose.
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I think if you only get 3-4 hours of morning sun, it will be hard to find a rose that will bloom well for you. Then again, you won't know until you try. Does the top of the pergola get more sun? Best case, the rose will grow up to the top without blooming much, and then do better once it reaches heights with more sun. Off the topic of roses, here is a guide to planting climbing hydrangeas: http://www.marthastewart.com/1502837/marthas-step-step-guide-climbing-hydrangeas But they won't have a scent. For scented climbers, you could try jasmine, but I'm not sure how well it does in shade. If you are planning on putting iris in that shady front bed, I would stay away from bearded iris, which like lots of sun. Japanese iris are ok in part shade. Even better for you would be Pacific Coast iris. These plants thrive on the west coast in part shade. I have several clumps of iris douglasiana (a native pacific coast iris) growing in my yard in spots that get maybe 1 or 2 hours of morning sun, and they bloom like crazy for about a month in the spring. There are many beautiful varieties. Check out the article here. Finally, another flower that has done great for me in part shade is foxglove. There are perennial varieties that will bloom from spring into late summer even in afternoon shade. And if you want scent, oriental lilies like some afternoon shade and create a heady perfume throughout the garden.
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rifis (zone 6b-7a NJ)
4 years ago
A variety of Home Depot 6 pack annuals. The one in Topeka is on Huntoon Street. Should be in by the end of this month, if not already.

Be sure to include snapdragons and celosia. Also sweet alyssum and portulaca. An informal planting will be more pleasing than a formal arrangement. Consider the mature size of each plant when spacing.

You say it’s not too pretty looking at all the dirt. But a nicely furrowed sandy loam can be a sight to behold for some.
Garden Mist thanked rifis (zone 6b-7a NJ)
Perma n’ Posies/9A FL
4 years ago
Look especially for plants with tiny blooms, even herbs like basil, dill or fennel...anything to attract beneficial insects. These will help your roses stay healthy. 😊
Rosylady (PNW zone 8)
4 years ago
I really like the hardy geraniums (Sheila's suggestion of 'Rozanne' is a good one). For annuals I grow nicotiana and heliotrope as they are both beautifully scented. My favourite underplanting for roses is 'Hopley's Purple' oregano....it's low maintenance, low water, and has beautiful purple blooms all summer which attract bees. It's easy to brush to the side when you need to get access to your roses, and I feel like the strong scent of herbs does keep pests away from roses.
jacqueline9CA
4 years ago
Diane, approximately where are you gardening? Do you know your climate zone? It is important before making decisions about what to plant to make sure that you are choosing among plants which like your climate. Whatever the climate, there will be plenty to choose from, but if you choose plants which hate your climate you will be disappointed.

Jackie
User
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
Wow, thanks so much to each of you for your help. You given me so many names of flowers to choose from. I will have to Google most of them. Dianela, your roses are gorgeous and thanks for sharing all your wonderful photos. What is the pink one at the bottom called? It's lovely. Is it a floribunda? I have a one shaped like this and it is from Kordes (Grimm Brothers) It has long branches like this. I always cut them back because I didn't know they were suppose to look like this. Now, I'll let them grow. Thanks again for your help. Diane Ps..I'm looking closer and see that they might not be roses afterall. I think I need a good pair of glasses. lol
User
4 years ago

jacqueline9CA - I live in BC Canada. Zone 8b. We have mild, damp weather in the winter, warm and sunny throughout the summer months, little humidity. Thank you so much Jacqueline.
dianela7analabama
4 years ago
Hello Diane. I am not sure if my pictures are out of order. The last picture pink rose I see is Ballerina. This rose is wonderful and blooms a lot. It is very flexible so it can climb or be on the floor. The only flaw is It gets blackspot. You mentioned you have little humidity which may reduce blackspot issues for you. I live at 90% humidity all year round lol

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