With that unusual color it's difficult to think of suitable companions. I can't imagine that a pink rose like Sydonie would blend well with it. A cream or pale yellow color would probably set it off well. Something along the lines of Lavender Pinocchio might also be pretty.

In regard to companion plants, sea lavender (limonium perezii) should do really well for you. I have quite a few and they look great among the roses or anywhere else for that matter. It should do much better for you than in my hotter inland location, and new little plants come up by themselves.

Ingrid

I tend to either stay with the same colour variations (oranges, corals, peaches and deep clarets, plums (libertia peregrina, uncinia rubra)......or add a slash of lime (euphorbias, molucella, carex evergold, millium effusum).

i agree with camps - I tend to plant my russet roses with beds heavily emphasizing apricot, so the russet stands out in contrast but the colors mesh. I throw in some burgundy if I can find ones that don't pink out on me (like maybe LavaGlut), and some whites to make the russets stand out in their unusual glory.

At least that's the theory. A depressing number of russets stubbornly refuse to survive in my zone 5 yard, but there are the stalwart few!

Cynthia

I like the mixed bag look best. I never coordinate the colors. Mother Nature doesn't so why should I limit myself. I have a pink and a yellow next to my Hot Cocoa and they both look lovely with it.

Ingrid- She does have a potted up band of Lavender Pinnochio that was going to replace an Angel Face that's coming out after 5 or so years. I'll swing that idea by her. The next permanent fixture in that area has a cream colored flower, but there's easily space for a nice sized shrub between the expected space for Dragon's Blood and the cream rose.

Sydonie is going to go next to a Mlle. Cecile Brunner shrub in a pink themed semi-circular bed in the back. There's actually a fair amount of Limonium in the pink bed now that I think about it. Some of it could definitely stand to be moved.

It's hard to picture a great scheme. Apricots and Purples round out her favorite rose colors -besides russet- do you all think Munstead Wood could pair well? Or even Lady Emma Hamilton? I hear pretty consistently good things about these roses and my mom loves Austins. Even if it's more of an orange, would LEH not clash? The shrub always looks great in picture, but I've only seen one in person that was rather young and not in bloom. Two others she would love a reason to try are Queen of Sweden and Carding Mill. Not sure that QoS would work, but maybe Carding Mill.

Thanks for ideas! I need to look into your recommendations Campanula. I try to avoid getting into a monoculture of roses.

Jay

With my Cinco de Mayo and Hot Cocoa roses, I love the look of lilac, tan, lavender and purple roses. I use Distant Drums, Love Song, Twilight Zone and plan to get an Angel Face. Tan roses are difficult to come by, but there are some. I also like pale yellows or pale amber colors - Honey Perfume is one I have liked. I use white periwinkles for a little extra interest. Singin In The Rain is also pretty with these colors - the pale apricots.

One of her Hot Cocoas is next to Cinco de Mayo too! It is a great combo alameda. I always forget about Singing in the Rain, but that is a wonderful rose.

I rather stupidly forgot about a Brown Velvet she has that I potted up from a band at the same time as Lavender Pinnochio. I bet that would make a strong like-colored companion if it actually keeps russet and not orange here. Brown Velvet was going to go next to the Hot Cocoa and Cinco de Mayo when it had added some size, but Dragon's Blood and Brown Velvet could be a russety dream together.

Jay

Dragon's Blood is actually more red than brown, so plan accordingly. Also, it blooms in great big flushes where no one will notice what is "next" to it when it's blooming. And then it takes a long sleep. So I don't think it matters what you put in the bed with it. Just put something -- anything -- that blooms when Dragon's Blood is in "rest" mode.

As is often the case, plans changed when the bed getting a face lift was actually dug out. We ended up putting a Correa Pulchella out front, with various salvias, lavender and Sydonie in the intervening space. A pink, blue, purple, white, and yellow (Tagetes Lemonii) scheme up front with cream and white accents was a bit more harmonious it seemed.

I think the likelihood that the mystery rose from Rogue Valley she has is pink is high enough that it will probably end up in the pink bed which made it easy to put Sydonie out front. It also seemed most logical to simply situate Dragon's Blood near Hot Cocoa and Cinco de Mayo. Aggressively self-sowing Borage is the only thing stopping that as of now, but I'll be fixing that tomorrow.

Jay