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lynneinperth

What would look good with Angel Face?

LynneinPerth
12 years ago

I've got 6 Angel Face rose bushes and I'm not sure what companion plants to put in front of, between and behind them in their garden bed.

I live in Perth, Western Australia and we have a hot Mediterranean climate. I've got a cottage theme, with lots of roses, camellias, gardenias, azaleas, a magnolia tree, wisteria and lots of small cottage plants.

For my Angel Face roses, I'm going to plant them in a row in a bed alongside a boundary wall. I'm thinking of their dark leaves and the mauve colour of the flowers, plus the fact that the bushes are quite small so I couldn't put anything too large in front of them.

I'm trying to decide whether to go white, pink, mauve or possibly pale lemon. My other rose bushes are going to have lavender, salvia blue and/or catmint around them. Would these work with Angel Face or is it too much purple/blue? I had thought of white vincas, but someone told me they draw too much nourishment away from the roses - is that true? Options for behind the roses - I'm thinking of a screening plant like murraya (orange jessamine) or plumbago (white or purple?).

Does anyone have any suggestions please?

Comments (11)

  • hosenemesis
    12 years ago

    Yes. Take a photo of Angel Face, insert it into a Word document, then find photos on Google of all of the flowers you think might look good with it and upload them to your computer. Insert them one at a time onto your Angel Face word document until the perfect combination appears. Be wild- try crazy combos- and you will create something unique.

    Tall bearded iris photos are easy to use- they come in almost every color under the sun. Then you can vary the flower type once you find the color you love. This has worked very well for me, since I have atrocious taste. I have recently been able to avoid planting screaming orange next to pale pink by using this technique. And it's fun!

    I'm not going to suggest anything, since my taste might curl your toes. Happy gardening!
    Renee

  • seil zone 6b MI
    12 years ago

    I have mine under planted with portulaca (moss rose) to hide the bare legs it gets when it loses all of it's leaves from black spot every year. Gorgeous, smelly rose but a horrible plant for me. I keep it though because it was mom's and it does bloom a lot.

  • roseseek
    12 years ago

    To my taste, Angel Face is on the redder side of mauve. I like it with yellows of all shades. Moonlight Yarrow, Coreopsis Moonlight, the pale yellow salvia greggii whose name I can't remember but is in full flower under the hibiscus out back right now, would also be a nice contrast.

    Roses of Yesterday and Today used to advertise how wonderful Lilac Charm was with Golden Fleece. Once I saw the combination, I was hooked. Angel Face is much redder than Lilac Charm, but the yellows in all of the softer permutations should look lovely with it. Perhaps spotting in touches of brighter yellow to add sparkle would make any other mauve to lavender-blue flowers pop. Kim

  • dublinbay z6 (KS)
    12 years ago

    Definitely several clumps of lavender iris behind them. If you have lots of room behind them, big extended lavender iris clumps. If there is limited space, a few small clumps of lavender iris (you'll have to pull out some of the extras each year--iris like to multiply).

    White hardy geraniums (the real geraniums--not the ones sold for pots at every garden center in America) to be placed in front but in the space in between the roses. (Avoid lining each row with every plant directly in front of the plant in the previous row--looks like a military drill!). The white hardy geraniums have a very light airy look to them.

    Isn't it fun planning?

    Kate

  • michaelg
    12 years ago

    1) a bottle of state-of-the-art fungicide; barring that,
    2) a shovel

    But if you chose (1) you can add almost any color. Bright colors may cause the mauve to wash out, so I'd suggest a light yellow or dark red. The latter would probably require going to annuals.

  • dublinbay z6 (KS)
    12 years ago

    What michael is referring to is Angel Face's bad reputation for being one of the worst blackspot magnets in the entire rose kingdom. At least, that certainly was my personal experience.

    Kate

  • susan4952
    12 years ago

    Lemon Spice looks good with mine.

  • alameda/zone 8/East Texas
    12 years ago

    I have loved Angel Face with pale yellows and pinks and corals. I also love it with Hot Cocoa and Cinco de Mayo - these russet shades to my eye look very interesting with lavenders including Distant Drums. Angel Face is one of my Top 5 favorite colors, but it blackspots as much as any rose I have grown. Dont currently grow it but when I find a healthy specimen I cant resist it.

  • LynneinPerth
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Wow! Thanks for all the advice. Yes I have heard that Angel Face is susceptible to black spot, but it seems to do very well here in Perth - maybe because it is so hot and dry here? And we get many hours of warm sunshine in the day. Luckily, I picked mine up super-cheaply and they look extremely healthy (for now!) so I'll see how I go. If I have to shovel-prune them, it won't be too much money down the drain. I just love the blooms and the fragrance, so fingers crossed!

    I'm going to look up all the combinations everyone suggested, but they all sound great and in keeping with my theme. Thanks so much!

    When I get everything in, I'll have to post a couple of photos, to show you how it all worked out. I had a bad car accident 3 weeks ago, and my back is a bit sore, so I'm pacing myself - a couple of hours every two or three days. The planting is so rewarding, I'm really enjoying it.

    I've got a row of 9 standard Seductions, planted with John Clare. Catmint to go in front.

    I've got a row of Pittosporums (screenmaster) screening another low wall. In front are Windermere, Molineux, Abraham Darby (plus waiting on Leonardo Da Vinci), dwarf lavender, pink and white daisies, mauve nemesia.

    I've got a Pierre de Ronsard on a wall near my front gate, with a bed of small cottage plants in front (stocks, foxgloves, violets etc).

    I'm going to put a thornless climber up amongst my wisteria.

    I have an old bed with a couple of camellias, azaleas and a fuschia for a bit of winter colour.

    I'm getting 3 garden arches, and I will train over them Zephirine Drouhin, Kathleen Harrop and Lamarque.

    It's spring here now, so I'm hoping that by next spring and the one after, it will all be really established.

    Thanks again.

  • hosenemesis
    12 years ago

    Oh my. Your garden will be a sight to see! Please do post photos!
    Renee

  • le_jardin_of_roses
    12 years ago

    It has that Victorian lavender shade and I think it would look so feminine with soft peach shades.

    Juliet