Roses and vegetables are compatible companions

I keep on hearing that gardeners are digging out their flowers in favour of vegetables. But it is not an either-or-option: you can have both – food for the body (veggies) and food for the soul (flowers).

In French kitchen gardens, flowers, including roses, have always been combined with vegetables and herbs in a productive and companionable mix. It makes sense because rose blooms attract pollinators, especially bees, which are necessary for vegetables.

Roses and vegetables share the same growing requirements – full sun, shelter from strong, cold winds and level, fertile soil that drains well. Raised beds are particularly suitable because of the good drainage.

Their water requirements are also compatible: both need regular watering that reaches the roots of the plants. That means that neither like root competition, soil that completely dries out, or where the roots stand in water.

How to combine veggies and roses

If roses are planted close together, make or extend the border in front of them and plant compact veggies that won’t block the sun.

In previous years I recommended planting winter annuals like pansies, violas and Namaqualand daisies, but this year, these can be substituted with Bright Lights swiss chard, red and green-leaf lettuce, low growing kale, baby cabbage and parsley.

Plant low-growing veggies in front of roses. Picture: Supplied

Bearing in mind that pansies, violas and calendula have edible petals, why not add them to the mix for some cheerful colour.

Where roses are planted further apart, especially upright hybrid-tea or spire roses, it is possible to grow veggies in between them.  For instance, broccoli loves the fertile, moist soil in the rose bed and if you time it right, there will be space for the broccoli heads to develop in July when roses are pruned.

Bush garden peas are another good option and they add nitrogen to the soil, which will benefit the roses.

The easiest option is to plant under standard roses – larger vegetables, like cabbage, cauliflower, kale and even Brussels sprouts, as well as leafy greens. Don’t plant too close to the rose because there needs to be space for water and fertiliser to reach the roots.

In spring, start with beetroot, carrots, onions and radishes and move on to dwarf peppers, chillies and even brinjals. I would not recommend tomatoes because they take up a lot of space and will overgrow roses. They may also attract pests, like whiteflies and aphids.

Consider growing cucumbers up a trellis behind a rose bed. The cucumber doesn’t mind its roots being in the shade as long as the leaves and flowers see the sun.

Iceberg roses don’t mind
competition from vegetables. Picture: Supplied

Why not use roses to provide a colourful backdrop to your veggie garden, like the shrub rose Rhapsody in Blue, which can be trained as a pillar rose or on to a trellis.

In winter, kale, lettuce, spinach and home-sown rocket can be grown at the feet of the roses so they and the roses have full access to sun, water and fertiliser.

Dos and don’ts

• Monthly fertilising with Vigorosa will benefit leafy greens and fruiting vegetables like brinjals and peppers.

• Pest control is important. Aphids, red spider and leaf-eating beetles can be a scourge.

• Organic insecticides can be used equally safely on roses and vegetables.

The canola oil has a smothering effect and the garlic acts as an insect repellent. The natural pyrethrum kills on contact, but it does not have any residual action, making it safe for edibles.

For more information visit ludwigsroses.co.za; email info@ludwigsroses.co.za or call 012-544-0144

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