Some rosarians believe the only good companion plants for their roses are other roses. Other rosarians disagree and include other plants, herbs, perennials, annuals, with their roses. Both sides make good argruments. Ultimately, you will decide what works best in your garden.

Doc & Katy Abraham, in Green Thumb Wisdom: Garden Myths Revealed, have this to say about companion planting: Plants are like people. Some plants have natural friends they like to be with, and some can't stand to be with others. This relationship is called "companion planting." The magic (or mystery) of companion planting has intrigued gardeners for centuries, but unfortunately this field has never been fully explored. Organic gardeners say there are some plants that help one another by repelling certain insects, and some plants that reject other plants. Some plants will even lessen another plant's ability to grow. Root secretions and odors all work in either repelling or attracting... There are many documented cases of allelopathy, the harmful effect of one plant on another caused by the release of chemical compounds produced by the first plant. For example, black walnuts produce juglone, which "tells" other plants to "stay away."

[From Beautiful American Rose Gardens, by Mary Tonetti Dorra, p. 22: In his New Hampshire Garden, Mike Lowe's] favorite rose companions [are] yellow sedums, used as fillers between low-growing Miniature roses and early Polyantha roses.