The rose, enchanting and beautiful, has long been consideredthe queen of the garden. The magnificent flower is known to be a very capricious beauty, making choosing a suitable companion a challenge. But rose and clematis are a recognized classic combination that fascinates with their lush blooms. Like no other plant, clematis can subtly emphasize the beauty of roses or bring their beautiful flowers into a worthy setting. Below we will explain what you should pay attention to if you want to plant roses and clematis together.
Rose and clematis: which varieties can you plant together?
Rose and clematis – at first glance it may seem like a perfect partnership. After all, these plants have the same light and soil requirements. Both feel best in sun to partial shade and grow well in neutral soil.
However, you should not rush to plant clematis with roses without studying their nature and properties. After all, there are so many different varieties of roses and clematis. In order to create a harmonious dream team, you need to know the different clematis groups, which are then divided into numerous varieties. Some of them are completely unsuitable as rose companions.
Clematis in cutting group 1 do not go well with roses
Clematis macropetala ‘White Swan’
DieClematis alpinaand their relatives from the Atagene group –A. sibiricaandA. macropetala– for example, they bloom primarily in early spring, April/May, and therefore cannot overlap with the flowering period of the roses. Like the Atagenes belongClematis montanato pruning group 1, meaning they are not pruned. This is another reason for conflict with roses, which should always be cut back.
Do clematis in cutting group 2 get along with roses?
Clematis ‘Multi Blue’
Pruning group 2 clematis hybrids are very suitable for growing among roses as their delicate roots require shade and protection. This means that the clematis can survive the cold winter months better together with the roses. But there are limitations here too.
Do not use overly lush and large-flowered clematis varieties for your rose garden. They are so self-sufficient in their splendor that they will rival roses. The variety 'Multi Blue', for example, will steal the show from the roses with its striking, blue-violet flowers. In addition, it is better not to plant high-growing clematis varieties directly next to roses, but to arrange them at the back of the bed.
A clematis variety from cutting group 2, which can be combined well with roses, is 'General Sikorski'. Here are two pictures that convince us of this perfect partnership.
Rose 'Pomponella' and Clematis 'General Sikorski'
Clematis 'General Sikorski' and English rose 'A Shropshire Lad'
Clematis from cutting group 3 are suitable, but with limitations
Strauchrose 'Red Eden Rose' mit Clematis viticella‘Marmori' und Clematis 'Eetica‘
Clematis from cutting group 3 should also be used with caution in the rose garden. They go well with roses in terms of flowering time. But! If you want to plant roses and clematis together, you should avoid larger specimens - with a height of 2.5 meters or more. It's better to plant these in the background as soloists, for exampleon a trellisor a rose arch. This brings the rose into focus.
'Ernest Markham' – clematis of cutting group III
It is not a good idea to plant pruning group 3 clematis with low-growing rose varieties (ground cover, hybrid tea and floribunda). The shoots of the clematis will cling to the rose branches and roses do not like such a suffocating embrace. In addition, it would not be possible to get rid of the clematis shoots in the fall without harming the roses. Experience has shown that it is better to arrange lushly blooming clematis at a certain distance from roses so that they form a backdrop against which the rose bushes look even more spectacular.
Clematis from the Integrifolia group is ideal as a rose companion
Clematis integrifolia ‘Heather Herschell’
The clematis of the Integrifolia group (cutting group 3), also known as perennial clematis, are best suited as a partner for roses. Most specimens in this group have small, exquisitely shaped, bell-shaped flowers and reach a height of around 1 meter. Clematis in this group can easily be planted with roses because their flowers appear in midsummer (to match the rose blooms) and can also be pruned vigorously in autumn. Beautiful combinations arise with 'Arabella', 'Alyonushka', 'Blue Boy', 'Blue Rain', 'Heather Herschell'.
Clematis integrifolia 'Alyonushka'
Harmony of colors: How to combine rose and clematis
Rose ‘New Dawn’ und Clematis ‘The President’
Undoubtedly, clematis in shades of blue and purple are ideal for combinations with roses. And it's amazing how different blue-flowering clematis can look. They come in numerous shades – from delicate pastel blue to intense violet.
The blue flowers of Clematis viticella 'Arabella' (1) also have shades of violet. The flowers of Clematis viticella 'Dominika' (2) are light blue. Clematis 'General Sikorski' (3) blooms in cornflower blue. Clematis 'The President' (4) has intensely colored flowers in dark purple.
Clamatis 'Étoile Violette' (cutting group 3) blooms profusely throughout the summer and will make a great backdrop for roses
The variety 'Mrs. Cholmondeley' with flowers in light purple is a good neighbor for roses of all colors
The Clematis 'Warszawska Nike', whose flowers sometimes appear dark blue or deep purple depending on the light,is an ideal planting partner for roses
The blues of the clematis are the perfect partners for roses of all colors: white, cream, yellow, peach, scarlet, purple and all warm and cool shades of pink.
The magnificent climbing rose 'Palais Royal' with its densely filled, nostalgic white flowers looks beautiful against the backdrop of purple clematis 'Ville de Lyon'.
Clematis 'Star of India' and rose 'Handel'
Monochromatic arrangements are also possible in a rose garden. A nice example is planting the rose 'Jasmina' and clematis 'Eetika' together, as shown in the picture below.
Purple clematis varieties also beautifully accentuate peach-colored, orange or golden yellow roses and make them shine even more beautifully.
Clematis 'Pojjanael'
The Estonian hybrid variety 'Pohjanael' fascinates with its large flowers in violet with purple stripes and looks wonderful in combination with peach-colored roses, such as the climbing rose 'Amaretto' and the floribunda rose 'Aprikola'.
Shrub roses 'Baroque' and 'Westerland'
The red rose Amadeus fits harmoniously with Clematis integrifolia 'Arabella'
The dark purple clematis 'Westerplatte' would be a great neighbor to roses in classic shades of pink
With its pale pink flowers, the Clematis 'Jan Pawel II' can create a beautiful contrast to purple roses
Clematis 'Marmori' with 'Red Eden Rose'
More original combinations with rose and clematis
Clematis texensis 'Duchess of Albany' and rose 'Rosarium Uetersen'
The lesser-known Texas clematis, which produces very pretty tulip-shaped flowers from June to October, is also suitable for combination with roses. The varieties of the Texensis group were created by crossing Clematis texensis with large-flowered varieties and show good winter hardiness. They belong to pruning group 3.
Clematis texensis ‘Sir Trevor Lawrence’
Another beautiful specimen of the Texensis group that delights with its magical tulip-shaped flowers is 'Sir Trevor Lawrence'. It has an extraordinarily long flowering period, from June to October, and reaches a height of 200 to 350 centimeters. A beautiful combination results, for example, with the rose 'Fantin-Latour' (centifolia group).
Clematis viticella as a companion to the rose 'Pierre de Ronsard'
Recently, clematis varieties with small, seemingly unsightly, but extremely interesting flowers are gaining popularity, such as Italian clematis (Clematis viticella). Its bell-shaped flowers in a delicate sky blue appear in June and delight gardeners all summer long.
The Viticella group includes many pretty varieties that go well with roses, such as 'Etoile Violette', 'Polish Spirit' and 'Prince Charles'.
Rose 'May Queen' and Clematis viticella 'Madame Julia Correvon'
There are numerous possible combinations of clematis and roses, but before planting them next to each other, you should carefully study the characteristics of the selected varieties to avoid mistakes. These two amazingly beautiful, sun-loving plants are made for each other and with a compassionate gardener they will make a perfect pair.
