What to Use in a Rose Bed As Ground Cover

Lavender makes a good ground cover under roses.

Roses are elegant plants but there's no denying that rose bushes, especially hybrid teas, can be bare and gangly on the bottom. What's more, weeding around the thorny plants is tedious and painful. Many rose gardeners use low-growing perennials as a living mulch under roses. For best results, choose plants that need the same sunny location and moist, well-drained soil.

Bath's Pink Dianthus

Pinks are named for their zig-zag edges, not the color.

Bath's Pink (Dianthus gratianopolitanus Bath's Pink) forms a wide mat of fine, evergreen foliage. In spring, it's covered in ruffled, bright pink flowers that are lightly fragrant. The blooming period extends into summer in cooler parts of its range if you deadhead it regularly. A type of cheddar pink, Bath's Pink stays 4 to 6 inches high and is both heat and cold tolerant. It's hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture zones 3 through 8.

Small Daylilies

Small daylilies make good ground covers under rose bushes.

Pest and disease free, small daylilies (Hemerocallis) make an effective ground cover under roses. Reblooming varieties like the golden yellow Stella D'Oro, lemon yellow Happy Returns and pinkish-red Rosy Returns all are large enough to camouflage rose bushes' bare legs, but aren't so tall as to distract from the roses' display. Remove the withered foliage in the fall to prevent insects from overwintering near your rose bushes. Hardiness depends on the cultivar, but there are varieties suitable for most parts of the country.

Lavender

Lavender and roses are traditional companions.

Lavender (Lavandula) is a traditional companion to rose bushes in English gardens. Hardy in zones 5 through 9, lavender requires a sunny exposure, good air circulation and excellent drainage, all characteristics it shares with roses. Smaller varieties, such as the English lavenders (L. angustifolia) Hidcote and Jean Davis, or the white French lavender (L. stoechas) Alba, fill in nicely around rose bushes. Lavender varieties come in blue, purple, pink and white, so you're sure to find a variety that will complement your roses.

Phlox

Creeping phlox comes in many colors.

Another mat-forming perennial, Phlox subulata, known as creeping or moss phlox, makes a good ground cover under roses. It blooms in early spring, adding another season of interest to your rose garden. Creeping phlox is trouble-free, requiring only a shearing back after blooming to keep the plants tidy. The semi-evergreen foliage takes on a dark, almost black hue in cold weather and may go completely dormant in the coldest part of its hardiness range, zones 3 to 9.

References

• University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service; Ground Covers; Beth Phelps; 2006
• Georgia Gold Medal Perennial Winners: 1994 Perennial Winner: Bath's Pink Dianthus
• Clemson Cooperative Extension; Daylily; Karen Russ, et al.; 1999
• University of Vermont Extension: Lavandula; Leonard Perry
• Ohio State University: Phlox Subulata
• North Carolina State University: Phlox Subulata

Resources

• Nebraska Statewide Arboretum: Better Together