Lilies can handle pretty much anything, so they will be fine. TB iris are the fussiest things I grow. They require almost absolutely all day sun, excellent drainage, no supplemental moisture, limited fertilizer, and frequent division. Even in pots, it will be hard to keep the roses and irises needs separate. Not to mention that the roses will probably provide too much shade for the iris.

They can be invasive but easy to control. I've seen them grow out onto a sidewalk covering almost half the width of it. This with no soil under them. They must get moisture and nutrients from their connection with the original plants.

I believe using them as companion plants would require, at least, an annual thinning or cutting back of the tubers to keep them in check.
As stated above, lilies would be fine.

I have a lot of TB Iris and they are kind of a pain. They do very well here, too well, they spread fast and need several rounds of foliage clean up.

I've had much more satisfaction from day lilys. If one is careful to select those that don't spread too quickly, they are good for quite a few years undisturbed. And very beautiful, and a much longer flowering period than Iris.
Some foliage clean up needed there as well, but I'm more willing to do it for more flowers. The other trick is picking colors that agree well with roses. A lot of the day lily colors do NOT look good with rose colors.

Lilies over iris, ground over pots. Iris would not do well in a pot for more than a year or two--they need too much room/spread too rapidly.

As far as I'm concerned, the only reason to put anything besides annuals in a pot is because 1) you don't have garden space) or 2) you want something that won't winter over so badly you are willing to drag it in in the winter.

The two most glorious iris beds I've ever seen were on a sandy hillside in New Mexico and on the edge of a golf course here in VA (sand on top of clay). Both were throughly neglected, received only rain water and had full sun.

hoovb, I completely agree with day lilies being wonderful companion plants for roses. The ones I have from local nurseries only bloom once in the spring which is rather a relief since the gold color doesn't really add much to the overall scheme. What I do think complements the roses is the foliage which is a nice counterpart to the roses all year and somewhat takes the eye away from any gawkiness the rose bush may have. They're also easy care except for the occasional cleanup, but I can't think of too many plants that don't require some maintenance. In my hot conditions the irises in full sun have deteriorated badly and the best bloomer now is in half shade with plenty of moisture that's just produced about 10 buds and blooms. As usual, it's all about location.

Ingrid

I have both iris and bulb lilies mixed in the rose beds--but not real close. The iris, in particular, are at least 3-4 feet away, but when you view the bed as a whole, they are close enough to provide an interesting contrast with the roses.

I agree that iris need lots of sun and relatively little water. I sometimes set my sprinkler on the whole bed (in which case the iris get watered), but I often hand water the roses so the iris aren't really affected.

Yes, iris spread quickly. Each spring I just yank out the ones that spread where I don't want them. And while one needs to clean them up after they bloom, I always heard that cutting them back was not good for them. At any rate, I don't cut them back--well, maybe a snip here or there if some get looking a bit too worn down and brown, but usually not at all.

My problem with the bulb lilies is that they don't like the hot Kansas sun that much. I have to make sure something is growing around the base of them to keep the roots shady. I water them more than I do the iris.

I think both iris and bulb lilies look terrific in a rose bed. They are both really easy to take care of.

Kate

I agree with the other comments re: b. iris--they can spread fast, prefer somewhat dry soil, and will turn to mush if over-fertilized or over-watered. I do have several in my rose garden but not right near any roses.

As for the lilies, you being in Mass. probably have the red lily leaf beetle. These pests are awful and have forced people to give up growing lillies in New England altogether. A lot of nurseries won't even sell lilies any more.

Daylilies are fine as long as you deadhead them daily while they're in bloom. They seem to appear particularly messy with roses if they're not deadheaded. In a bed by themselves, I'm not so fussy. But like Hoov says, watch the color. A lot of daylily colors really clash with roses.

Have you tried siberian or japanese iris? Their foliage holds up much much better than b. iris, which tends to turn brown and ratty by mid-summer. After bloom, a s. or j. iris resembles an ornamental grass. They also prefer a richer soil and more water than b. iris.