There’s nothing like a bed of roses in your garden, or a feature area with one stunning rose plant - and there’s one garden companion that roses love to grow beside. Roses are a classic English garden choice - and they come in so many varieties, colours and sizes so there’s something suitable for any outdoor space.

From patio roses, climbing or rambling, ground cover roses, which all come in varying shades, roses are a pleasure to see in any garden. You could choose a sweet-scented Damask - an old variety with fewer petals - or a Souvenir rose with its full blooms. There are actually hundreds of rose types to choose from - and growing roses next to one common flower will ensure the rose plant thrives and grows.

Whatever type of rose you choose for your garden, if you plant it beside lavender, the rose plant’s growth and health will thrive.

Certain companion plants, particularly lavender, but also salvia (sage) are fragrant herbs that will help roses to grow.

Roses will thrive when planted near these specific flowering plants with health and growth of your roses improved - and here’s why.

Lavender plants attract beneficial insects like pollinators and will help with the overall health of the rose plants.

The Garden Design website explained: “Usually lauded for its many culinary uses, lavender is also wonderful company for roses, offsetting the cup-shaped blooms with their dainty purple spires.

“This aromatic herb will also help keep roses healthy by repelling aphids and attracting beneficial insects.”

Gardeners who companion lavender with their roses could find that they bloom for longer and stay aphid free all summer.

As well as scented lavender helping to keep pests away from roses, the two plants compliment each other very well, which adds colour - and fragrance to your garden.

Other tips for growing roses include making sure your rose plant is in a sunny spot and that the soil is well-drained, so you'll want to avaoid any larger shrubs that overshadow your roses. 

The Garden Design website also explained that while certain plants repel aphids, other types of plants attract these pests.

The gardening experts suggested that 'to help keep aphids out of your rose garden, aphid magnets like cosmos, nasturtiums, flowering tobacco and sunflowers should be kept at a safe distance'.