Companion Plants for Roses: Garlic, Lavender, Catmint and More

Roses were once grown in formal monoculture beds — rows of identical plants, the soil between them bare or mulched. This created a perfect environment for the pests and diseases that rose growers find most frustrating: aphids colonised dense stands, blackspot and powdery mildew flourished with poor airflow, and without beneficial insects the garden ecosystem had nothing to push back against pest pressure.

The cottage garden tradition understood something the formal rose bed did not: roses planted among herbs, alliums, lavender, and catmint were healthier, flowered better, and needed less intervention. Modern companion planting research has started to explain why.

What Roses Need from Companions

A good rose companion should do one or more of the following:

• Deter or confuse aphids and other rose pests
• Attract pollinators to improve flowering
• Attract beneficial insects that prey on rose pests
• Share compatible soil, sun, and drainage requirements (full sun, well-drained, neutral to slightly alkaline soil)
• Provide attractive ground cover to suppress weeds around rose bases
• Improve the aesthetic of the rose planting (fragrance, colour, texture contrast)

The Best Companion Plants for Roses

Garlic — Aphid Deterrence

Planting garlic at the base of roses is one of the oldest companion planting traditions. The evidence is largely observational — rose growers report markedly fewer aphid problems when garlic is established nearby — but the mechanism is plausible: garlic releases sulphur-containing volatile compounds (allicin and related compounds) that may interfere with aphid host-finding.

How to plant: Push individual garlic cloves into the soil at the drip line of each rose bush in autumn, 8–10 cm deep and 15 cm from the rose's base. They will sprout in spring and grow through the rose's blooming season. The garlic itself is harvestable when its top leaves start to yellow in early summer, but leaving some in the ground provides ongoing companion benefit.

Chives — Ornamental and Functional Aphid Deterrence

Chives provide the same sulphur-compound aphid deterrence as garlic but with the bonus of attractive purple pompom flowers in late spring that attract pollinators. They form neat clumps that work well as edging plants along the front of a rose bed.

Ornamental alliums (Allium hollandicum, Allium giganteum) serve the same function at a larger scale — their spectacular spherical flower heads are traditional companions in formal rose planting, blooming in the gap between late spring and summer rose flushes.

Lavender — Fragrant and Compatible Ground Cover

Lavender is arguably the most aesthetically successful rose companion. The two plants share the same requirements: full sun, very well-drained soil, neutral to alkaline pH (6.5–8), and relative drought tolerance once established. Lavender's grey-green foliage and purple flower spikes provide attractive contrast against rose blooms and continue the display after roses drop their petals.

Lavender's volatile compounds (linalool, camphor, linalyl acetate) are broadly repellent to aphids, fleas, and moths. Its flowers are excellent sources of nectar for bumblebees and solitary bees. Well-established lavender planted in a row in front of or beside rose beds is a classic English cottage garden combination.

Note: Lavender dislikes heavy clay and wet soil. If your roses are in clay-heavy soil, amend with gravel and sharp sand for lavender companions or choose the more tolerant Lavandula x intermedia (lavandin) types.

Catmint (Nepeta) — The Perfect Rose Ground Cover

Catmint (Nepeta x faassenii and related cultivars) is perhaps the best all-around rose companion for aesthetic and functional reasons combined. Its sprawling, low mound of silver-grey foliage and abundant lavender-blue flowers works as a living mulch around rose bases, suppressing weeds, retaining soil moisture, and looking beautiful for months. It blooms from late spring well into summer, often producing a second flush after cutting back.

Catmint's aromatic foliage deters aphids through volatile compound release and its flowers attract bees and some beneficial insects. Slugs dislike its rough texture, providing some incidental slug deterrence at the rose base where slug damage to new growth is most problematic.

The cultivar 'Walker's Low' (despite its name, growing 60–90 cm wide and 45–60 cm high) is the most widely planted rose companion catmint. 'Six Hills Giant' is larger and very vigorous. 'Purrsian Blue' stays more compact.

French Marigolds — Nematode Deterrence

Root-knot nematodes can damage rose roots, particularly in warm climates where nematode pressure is highest. French marigolds planted densely around the drip line of rose bushes provide the same thiophene-based root exudates that protect vegetable crops. While roses are not as commonly affected as vegetables, established rose plantings with recurring nematode problems benefit from a ring of marigolds replanted annually.

Geraniums (Pelargoniums and Hardy Geraniums) — Beetle Deterrence

Scented pelargoniums (particularly rose-scented Pelargonium graveolens) are traditional rose companions in old cottage garden practice, believed to deter Japanese beetles and some caterpillars. Hardy cranesbill geraniums (Geranium species) provide weed-suppressing ground cover with attractive flowers and work visually well beneath and around roses.

Parsley — Parasitoid Wasp Habitat

Second-year parsley produces flat umbel flowers that attract parasitoid wasps. Planted around rose beds, parsley in bloom supports the beneficial insect populations that prey on aphids and caterpillars. It is also easy to grow from seed and self-seeds reliably, becoming a permanent fixture in a rose bed with minimal effort.

Plants to Avoid Near Roses

Designing a Rose Companion Bed

A classic English cottage-style rose bed with companions might include:

• Rose bushes: Spaced 90 cm–1.2 m apart as the structural centrepiece.
• Garlic or ornamental alliums: Planted at the base of each rose, or ornamental alliums creating a spring bulb display in gaps between roses.
• Catmint: One or two plants per rose, placed toward the front of the bed, where their spreading habit can fill in attractively without crowding the rose's base.
• Lavender: Along the bed's border, providing structure, fragrance, and year-round interest even when not in bloom.
• French marigolds: Tucked in remaining gaps for nematode protection and cheerful colour through summer.
• Parsley (second-year): Allowed to flower in a corner of the bed for beneficial insect habitat.