Hello! The temperature is really climbing here, and after a cool early June we’re heading into the heat now, hitting the 30’s C. Phew, scorchio! It’s been another funny year weatherwise, with a dry early spring that had the bonus of keeping the slugs at bay, and then a very wet May-mid June, which did bring the slow-moving but well-equipped army of slimey ones out but at least by then most of the plants were growing on strongly. This also meant that plants were well watered during their fastest phase of growth, and you can really see the benefits of this in the garden. The roses in particular have been fabulous this year, so I thought I’d share a few ideas on what you can plant with them. I’ve also included some info on an upcoming garden design workshop I’m hosting, and a friend’s nature retreat.

You have to be a little careful when choosing what to plant with roses. You don’t want something that gets too big and tall, as this will end up growing through the rose and stifling the all important air circulation. I think this is the number one cause of disease in roses, especially the very common fungal disease, black spot, which can look really sad on a nice good-looking rose. So you need some relatively well-behaved companion plants, and here are a few of my favourites.

Nepeta (Cat Mint)

This is a wonderful plant for bringing a romantic breeziness to a border, and looks great with roses. Its lilac flowers combine well with many rose colours: yellow, white, pinks and deep magentas. I particularly love it with this sumptuous Gallica rose spotted at the wonderful Meise botanic garden (a hidden gem in Belgium!).

I also have it growing among the roses and Alchemilla mollis along my front path. It has a lovely habit of spilling over without getting in the way too much. Just keep an eye out for your local cats, who might use it as a drug den (they really do love cat mint!).

Nigella (Love-in-a-mist)

A romantic name for a romantic plant, and one of the prettiest annual flowers you can grow from seed. The foliage is a lovely foil for roses, with its delicate filigree leaves. And not only are its flowers very pretty, but they transform into architectural seedheads, so you get a lot from this plant over a long season.

Stachys byzantina (Lamb’s ears)

So wonderfully tactile, who can resist running their hands though the downy, furry leaves of this good-looking plant? The silvery foliage looks fabulous with roses, and it makes great edging for the front of the border. It loves full sun, just like the roses, and has the upside of being evergreen too.

Sambucus nigra (Elderberry)

If you have a deep border (always a good idea!) then Elderberry makes a fabulous backdrop for roses. This inspired idea comes from Meise Botanic Garden. The purple-leaved species, such as Sambucus nigra ‘Black Lace’ with its lovely deeply divided leaves is the perfect foil for rose blooms, especially light and deep pinks. Or…

It’s also absolutely fabulous with this delightful, vibrant orange rose, called Rosa ‘Warm Welcome’. I love what they have done here with the industrial-looking iron rods to act as a very eye-catching support for roses. This would look so good in a contemporary planting scheme.

Sambucus is a large shrub that flowers around the same time as some roses, in May here in Belgium, and it is also a fantastic plant for attracting wildlife: insects buzz around the flowers, and birds flock to the berries. It is fast growing and needs some space, so give it room so that it won’t overwhelm the roses.

Scabious

Airy Scabious blooms seem to float above the border, weaving their way through roses and other plants. Their wiry stems are not leaf-heavy, so they keep the air circulating. The soft colours – pinks, blues, whites – are perfect in cottage garden and romantic planting schemes, and they have a very long flowering season, all though summer and into early autumn if you keep deadheading. Very popular with the bees too.

Geraniums (not Pelargoniums!)

It would be remiss of me not to include the trusty geranium (just to clarify, not the common geraniums that are really pelargoniums, of Swiss balcony fame). I use tons of these along my front path with my roses. I would avoid the very big, leafy ones such as Geranium Rozanne, which might stifle a rose, but there are plenty of better behaved ones to choose from.

I use Geranium x catabrigiense ‘Cambridge’, which makes very neat little mounds of leaves topped with small, nodding pink flowers in May to June. Bees seem to love it.

Geranium sanguineum varieties are also great: they have pretty leaves that turn attractive shades of red in autumn, and often have quite vibrant flowers: G. sanguineum ‘Max Frei’ for instance adds a welcome splash of bright purple.

And your favourites?

Do you use any of these with roses? Or do you have some other favourites to recommend? Would love to hear your suggestions!

Garden Design Workshop: Saturday 11 July

If you’re looking for some design tips, I’m running a workshop on creating a beautiful border in my garden on 11 July. Summer is the perfect time to start thinking about a new border design, so that you can go get your plants and get them in the ground in autumn, the best time for planting. We will focus on choosing the right plants for the right situations, and how to create year-round interest. We’ll also look at colour combinations, colour wheel theory and how to structure your planting, with a few tips from the best teacher, Mother Nature. I really love running this hands-on workshop, so if you’re in Belgium, come join me! More info and booking link here.

Nature retreat: Seasons of Becoming

My lovely friend Molly is running a restorative four-season retreat for women over four weekends through a year, beginning this autumn. It will bring together a small group of 8 women and 2 facilitators, taking place near the forest in Watermael Boitsfort, Brussels. It looks like a really interesting programme, and is aimed at helping us navigate change and transition in these challenging times. Here’s the flier, and feel free to contact Molly on info@mollystevensoncoaching.com to find out more or visit her website.

That’s all for now, enjoy these balmy summer days!