What to plant among roses?

I have a bed of 12 rose bushes surrounded by a boxwood border. I want to plant something among them since full sun is hard to come by in my yard. I was thinking about hollyhocks. Thoughts?

Hollyhocks would be a good companion plant to your roses (they enjoy similar sun and feeding requirements), just be sure to not over-crowd the area; Hollyhocks can get a rust problem, and one good preventative measure is good air circulation, along with watering from the bottom, never water the foliage. If you go with Hollyhocks, and prefer the taller varieties, consider staking them if the wind is much of an issue in that area.


Other nice options might be Campanula, maybe Salvia, Geraniums, or even Thyme. Just be careful to pick something that won't compete too much for nutrients and won't shade the roses. :)

My experience with hollyhocks is that their beauty is short lived. The ones I grow get very tall and like speediebean said, they have tendency to be blown over. They are not pretty for a long period of time like the roses probably are. I'm picturing a square of 12 rose bushes with a low boxwood border which really sounds pretty? Can you not maximize your roses for more blooms? Are you after more color? Were you thinking of planting something tall for a background as the hollyhocks might hide the roses. Can you grow larkspur or delphininum there?

Aaaah, Delphs are another lovely option.

Another question: What sorts of roses are they? Heirloom? Knockout/shrub? Drift? (Probably not Drift, as you did say you have "rose bushes").

It depends on if you want something to bloom at the same time or when the roses aren't in bloom. If you want something to bloom before the roses, society garlic (bulbs), irises, or other sun-loving bulbs might be a good choice.

Terry,

Tell me what society garlic is all about?? Funny - I plant regular garlic with my roses to deter the Japanese beetles and it appears to work VERY well..

Brenda

Society garlic (Tulbaghia violacea) is a smaller member of the onion/garlic family, with lavender-colored flowers: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/adv_search.php?searcher[common]=society+garlic&searcher[family]=&searcher[genus]=&searcher[species]=&searcher[cultivar]=&searcher[hybridizer]=&searcher[grex]=&search_prefs[blank_cultivar]=&search_prefs[sort_by]=rating&images_prefs=both&Search=Search The leaves are chive-like. They can make a good border plant for sunny spots.

Terry,

Maybe that is the one I know as garlic chives? Have you heard it referred as that.

Thanks for the feedback.

brenda

No, they are different from garlic chives, which are a true Allium. These are classified as an ornamental allium. Whether they're edible or not, I'm not sure.

Very cool Terry. I'd never heard of these before so of course I had to look them up. Turns out, according to Green Deane at "Eat The Weeds", Society Garlic (aka: Tulbaghia violacea) is indeed edible. (Article here: http://www.eattheweeds.com/society-garlic/)

Like Brenda, I had also guessed that they were the same as chive garlic. Thank you for the info. =) And thank you Brenda for the heads-up about growing garlic to deter Japanese beetles. I've had a couple issues with those things, but now that I'm growing garlic, I'll be sure to move the plants around in the Spring, into my other bed.

Wonderful speediebean, glad you liked that garlic idea.

I would rather smell my roses, not garlic. I would never grow these again, they may be easy care but they stink, strong like garlic. They are planted in public landscapes here, parking lots, business parks, etc. and they smell. Some people even grow them along the walkway to their front door, not something I would want to smell coming in and out of my house.

Hollyhocks may have a pretty bloom but I have yet to see a good looking plant.

Since roses need more water than iris, I try not to plant them too close.

You can try some of the dwarf varieties of agapanthus, or agastache which smell nice, daylilies, ornamental grasses, veronicas, lavender, Lamb's ears would be pretty. I like lilies, and am working on adding a clematis next to each rose.
You might want to consider some annuals as perennials can become too large if not careful.
I like anagallis, nemesia, verbena, cosmos, allysum, and poppies.