Read by Natalie Carmolli*

PPlanting a rosebush goes beyond the simple act of placing it in the soil—it’s a delicate symphony orchestrated by nature. To cultivate a thriving garden, consider the companions your plants keep. Here’s a guide to creating a harmonious haven for your flora and fauna.

Begin by pairing your rosebush with chives and garlic. This trifecta ensures not just vigor but also resistance to black spot mildew and aphids. Create a haven for them among begonias and geraniums, especially the white ones, a must for roses, chrysanthemums, and tomatoes. These tomatoes, in turn, find companionship with parsley, asparagus, and stinging nettle—a true nemesis to quack grass.

Mint, with its refreshing aroma, becomes a guardian against frost damage, particularly when paired with peppermint. Spearmint, on the other hand, becomes a natural deterrent for ants, much like daffodils ward off gophers. Girdling, a technique that keeps mice, rats, moles, and voles at bay, is a secret weapon against tree-dwelling pests, creating an environment where flies and gnats dare not hum.

Nut trees like walnut and others find solace in mulberry and elm, as well as spruce and other pine-tree needles. Interestingly, strawberries adore the latter, forming a mutual dislike for cabbage but an adoration for lettuce, spinach, bush beans, and wild mustard.

Vegetables, it seems, enjoy the company of various herbs for the sweetness they emit. Lavender and Scotch broom share a bond, while fruit orchards cherish wild mustard. Humans, seeking refuge from mosquitoes, plant pennyroyal near patios, porches, and windows. Nasturtium roots, in turn, protect apple trees from woolly aphids, fostering a garden sanctuary.

Radishes, when paired with cress and leaf lettuce, grow mild, while chervil imparts a spicy kick. Cucumbers, indispensable allies against beetles, form a close-knit friendship with string beans. Potatoes, however, find themselves in a complex relationship—despised by sunflowers, yet protecting and being protected by string beans.

Corncobs are indifferent, just as long as you plant the corn north to south, and they coexist peacefully with pumpkins, cucumbers, peas, lupine, or beans. Yarrow, the unifying force, becomes a companion to both vegetables and flowers, fostering a sense of happiness when carrots, peas, lettuce, beets, and onions grow together.

Sprinkle your garden with coffee grounds and onion tops to invite earthworms, or use oak-leaf mulch to repel grubs and slugs. And as you kneel down in your garden, remember to talk and touch. Before you do that, read aloud the wisdom contained here to your rosebush—it may just be the key to unlocking a flourishing garden.

Plants, like humans, need the right companions to grow and thrive—give it to them. You, and they, deserve it. ❖

 
About the Author: Eileen Malone resides in the coastal fog at the edge of the San Francisco Bay Area, where her front lawn has transformed into a thriving front farm. Drawing inspiration from passing tips and warnings, Eileen crafts prose poems that reflect her unique gardening experiences.

 
*Voiceover by Natalie Carmolli with Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Shrubs.