Shrub roses may need some coverup for the bare lower branches. Try my favorite companions as underplantings:

Annuals

  • Alyssum (Lobularia maritima)
  • Blue fan flower (Scaevola aemula)
  • Baby's breath (Gypsophila elegans)
  • Dusty miller (Senecio cineraria)
  • Lobelia (Lobelia erinus)
  • Moss rose (Portulaca grandiflora)
  • Petunia (Petunia hybrids)
  • Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus)



Perennials

  • Artemisias (Artemisia spp., Zones vary) including A. schmidtiana, ‘Powis Castle', and ‘Valerie Finnis'
  • Catmints (Nepeta spp., Zones vary), including ‘Dropmore', ‘Snowflake', and ‘White Wonder'
  • Cranesbills or hardy geraniums (Geranium spp., Zones vary) including ‘Johnson's Blue' and G. sanguineum
  • Daylilies (Hemerocallis spp.), including dwarf rebloomers ‘Stella de Oro' and ‘Black-eyed Stella'
  • Lamb's ears (Stachys byzantina, Zones 4 to 8), including ‘Silver Carpet'
  • Lavender (Lavandula spp., Zones vary), including ‘Munstead', ‘Hidcote', and ‘Nana Alba'
  • Sages (Salvia spp., Zones vary), including ‘Mainacht', ‘East Friesland', ‘Blue Hills', and ‘Rose Queen'
  • Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus, self-sowing biennial, Zones 3 to 9) including ‘Bath's Pink' and ‘Newport Pink'



Ground covers

  • Bugleweed (Ajuga reptans, Zones 3 to 9), including ‘Atropurpurea', ‘Bronze Beauty', and ‘Burgundy Glow'
  • Lilyturf (Liriope muscari, Zones 6 to 10)
  • Pachysandra (Pachysandra terminalis, Zones 4 to 8), including ‘Green Carpet' and ‘Variegata'
  • Thymes (Thymus spp., Zones vary), especially creeping forms