Here’s a well known bit of flower gardening advice: your rose garden doesn’t have to be all roses. Gardening design is all about variety and color. There are many other plants which will complement a bed of roses, such as Diascia, Feverfew, and Catmint. Even if you are container gardening roses, you can still add a few Lobelia or Diascia for accent colors. If you can’t decide which one to use to complement your rose bushes and garden, here is some information:

The Diascia Genus, originating in Africa, is made up of about 70 species of perennials and annuals. Many of the annuals make good complements to roses, as Diascia also like fertile, well drained soil and lots of sunlight. A Diascia planted close to the base of each of your rose bushes can add a complementary color, as well as a different height and texture to your bed. As an annual, you will need to replant new plants yearly. These plants will not self propagate, so the only way to get new ones without buying them is by growing from cuttings, which don’t always work, but can be fun. Flower gardening is often a balance of annuals and perennials, because while it’s nice and easy to have perennials every year, it can also be nice to change things once in a while.

Another plant which will grow well alongside the rose is Feverfew, which also flourishes in situations with lots of water and sunlight. These white and occasionally yellow or off white herbal plants are sometimes thought of as weeds, and unlike the Diascia, will self propagate easily and take over your garden, so be careful to deadhead these plants regularly to avoid extra Feverfew next year.

Catmint, like roses, grows best in well drained soil. Catmint can grow from 1 – 3 feet tall, and is good as a border around your rose shrubs, or as a border around the bed. These herbal plants are available in white, blue, and lavender. Once the plants begin to fade, they can be pruned down while pruning roses to promote another blooming. As the name implies, Catmint is an herb similar to catnip, and is very popular with cats. So an unsuspecting gardener may come home one day to find cats rolling around in, and crushing, their catmint. Many cats, however, ignore Catmint.

Roses also work well with members of the onion family. Many member of the onion family also produce flowers and look nice in your garden, often while providing you with herbs. Each of the possible complementary plants will work differently with a different type of roses. Some roses themselves are herbs, which can provide a nice theme for your flower garden.

Plants like these and other plants which like full sunlight and good drainage can add color and variety to your rose garden design. Garden designing is not easy, but added color and unique plants can add a lot to a bed.