Containers - what can I plant with roses?

I've got some roses which will be going into containers. I'm thinking about putting something else (shallow rooting) in the containers with them.

Question is - knowing that roses are heavy feeders, should I even be considering putting something else in with them (I don't mind feeding them more often if I need to)?

Also, what would go well in a planter with roses? The colour scheme is pinks and yellows.

Thank you in advance

Alex

 

Hi Alex

Roses grow perfectly well in containers as long as they are fairly large and you remember to keep the plants fed and watered (the latter won't be much of a problem this summer!). But - as with many things - I feel that they are really happier in open ground. For this reason, I wouldn't give them too much competition.

However, your containers are only for summer display - your roses will be bare twigs in the winter, and you'll probably want to tidy and prune them - so, if you want to add a bit of variety, why not go for some summer bedding plants that you can simply discard at the end of the season? Blue flowers will tone with both yellow and pink. There is always good old lobelia, but I suppose it has become a bit of a cliche.

Catmint (Nepeta cataria and others) is a trouble free perennial which looks great as an underplanting for roses. It will go on flowering for ages and the leaves themselves are very pretty. It won't give your roses too much competition and you can always give it a bit of a cull at the end of the season.

 

I used to put Bizzie Lizzies around my container roses . I have put cheap and cheerful Lobelia in them this year . They may be common , but they do look good
As Clare said it is only for summer display so I think you need something you can just discard a the end of the season.

 

I have used muscari (grape hyacinth) to give interest at the bottom of the container whilst there's not much happening to the rose but during and after the rose flowers I'd either not underplant at all (coloured pebbles are a good alternative) or I'd use one of the border low-growing ground covers like aubretia or arabis.