Plant suggestions welcome

I was just wondering if too much underplanting of small shrubs may compete too much with the water and nutrition needed by the roses. However It sounds an exciting project.

Try Low growing perennials?

London Pride, Saxifraga × urbium, it is very pretty and grows close to the ground to keep weeds well at bay. It spreads easily by runners.

Ajuga reptans | bugle/RHS Gardening

Wild thyme.
search.thompson-morgan.com/seeds/Low%20Growing%20Perennials

Many more I am sure.
All of these are really hardy and disease and pest resistant. They are also shallow rooted and easy to pull up out of the ground. If and when they are getting too crowded.
Send us some pictures when it gets going.

MazieD It's not exactly the time of year but have a good nose around all the local gardens parks etc you can find to get some ideas.

Purple sage ( can be evergreen) low growing rock roses, cneonorum convolvulus ( evergreen with white blooms),ceonothus, the small kind.
Very low ground cover; ajuga, aubretia, saxifrage.

Thanks for suggestions so far.

I don't think we'll be underplanting until the autumn as we have some very determined rosbay willow herb to get rid of first (glyphosate..)

I'm not sure about cneonorum, it didn't survive the winter in my garden and the one we're working on is higher; but the groundcover ideas are great.

Many thanks for ideas. Keep 'em coming

I am a big fan of Heuchera. They are low growing, evergreen, clump forming, flowering and come in every colour imaginable.
www.google.co.uk/search?q=heuchera+images&biw=1366&bih=643&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=0CB8QsARqFQoTCMub1dLQ9MgCFYhQFAod_t8NQA

Indeed. I have a lovely purple leaf one in my garden Still in flower (as are the sweet peas; don't they know it's November?)

I love heucheras too Sal and they come in all sorts of colours from acid yellow leaved ones to almost black and are really well behaved. I was going to also suggest lavender.

Mound forming hebes are a good choice and to save money, you can easily grow them from cuttings.

Ladies mantle and hardly fuchsia?

Hardy !

Depending on the rose colour. Mine are pink and I have underplanted with geranium Rozanne a sky blue summer flowered. Spring bulbs also.

Alchemilla mollis (lady's mantle) is a thug of the first order! It seeds everywhere in my garden (so I know it's happy on clay) unless I cut the flowers back a bit sharpish. Mind you, I once saw a stunning flower arrangement at Holker Hall of Alchemilla and Rosebay Willow herb, so, in view if the infestation of the beds by the latter it might just look very pretty. But I don't think my fellow gardners would forgive me...

The geranium Rozanne is a great idea, whitewave! I have a few which flowered their socks off all summer and are still going strong. I think it was voted plant of the year at Chelsea a while back.

Shysal Geranium Roxanne is fantastic it is a lovely colour and just goes on flowering.

I'd go for hardy geranium every time. I have just planted a bed, under a larch, with hardy geraniums gathered from open garden stalls and divisions from friends' gardens. Can't wait til next summer when they have all bedded in and start flowering!

x

Mmmm. Just looked up Rozanne and it looks very useful with such along season of interest.

What about dwarf michaelmass daisies? Does anyone have any recommendations? The gardens are open to the public all year round so autumn interest is very useful.

Ugh! 'a long' (must proofread)

I second Rozanne, it's very good, mine is still flowering its socks off.

Yes to dwarf asters, I have a few. It's raining now, so I shall only look at the nearest bed.

Chrysanthemum Mei Kyo, pink, 18-23".
Cuphea hyssopifolia, pink flowers, also known as 'fake 'heather', it's maybe 8" high and full of flower right now.

I can't find the aster label, the birds must have stolen it, as usual. There is also another late geranium that looks just like Rozanne, Brookside, that bridges he gap perfectly between early geraniums (many finish in July) and Rozanne. Rozanne doesn't flower until very late in August, so but Brookside as well to extend the season.

I would buy smaller lavenders and loads of pinks with strong clove scents, but be careful, lots of them aren't as scented. Another plant that looks lovely with roses, pinks and lavenders is linaria. Herbs with scented leaves are also lovely, such as sage, especially the purple-leaved one. Rosamary, thyme, and there are loads of salvias to choose from, not just the edible forms. Salvia x jamensis varieties are available is soft colours, I have a few of those and they are very hardy.

Oh dear - so many typos!

stillhere, my Rozannes start flowering in May, as stated in the blurb on them, and will keep going until the first frost.
I have some bare rooted Geranium Tiny Monster coming on in pots, which are magenta coloured, and also have a long flowering period.

I think we'll have to win the lottery!

Thanks all you lovely people

shysal we had a very late frost here, as we often do, in mid May. I think it sets mine back later than everyone else's.

Tiny Monster sounds good!

Today I ordered a bare rooted pink climbing rose " The Generous Gardener " and thinking about a blue clematis "Elsa can't remember to climb with it as contrast.

"Spath"!!