Can't see any pictures.

Jackie

Thank you.

I have all 3. MB flops a little for me, CP doesn't flop at all & SS is a ground cover so will grow about 2' tall & then will lay down on the ground to grow 2-3' more. SS picture below:

I always support young plants that are flopping. The stems will grow stiffer with age. You can also take a bit of stem when you deadhead.

Thank you all, I am new at this. I put in 2 knockouts last year and was not impressed the red completely died back to ground this winter and slowly ( 4 inches so far) is growning back and the double pink looked great early in the spring till the rose slugs have almost completly devoured it, I do have to say it is a trooper it went onto have a big flush and continues put out new growth and a few buds. I wanted something with bigger flowers and saw so many on here recommeded EE. I am in zone 4 NNY, and we have very limited selection KO, carpet rose and recently EE. I did not know SS grew so low to the ground, the pictures I have seen they looked like bushes.

If anyone has any advice on preventing roseslugs let me know. I did buy bayer rose and flower care, but would like to avoid it because of all the information of it killing off the honey bees.

I have Music Box and it is very upright and bushy here, yours may just need a little help while it settles in. And the rose slugs didn't bother it, while some of my other roses were looking really bad, so that's a plus! You can try hosing them off or squishing them. Julie

I got better pictures. 1st is CP, the 2nd is SS, and the 3rd is MB. After seeing wirosarian's picture of SS it maybe normal sprawling for this rose I didn't realize it's habit so I may need to rethink my layout as it won't fill in like I imagined. But the out 2 are defiantly leaning to one side. Should I support them with tomato cages so they don't lay on the ground when it rains?

As far as the rose slugs, I tried picking them off and spraying them with hose but in a couple days they had my KO devoured. I was hoping to do something to prevent it next year.

mlobaito.

Spinosad and Safers Insecticide Soap are effective against Rose Slugs if used according to directions.

Next year you can also try picking and hosing as soon as you start seeing damage then follow-up from time to time...

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/1703062/rose-slugs-repelled?n=23

Funny I always see the pets before the plants, Beautiful kitty was my first thought as well. All the easy elegance you mentioned will be upright after this year except SS. Don't know your zone but many of my EE's do die to the ground in winter here depending on how harsh the winter is. They bounce back nicely for the next year thou.

I'm trying an experiment with a new Sunrise Sunset. Since all of my original SS's always kept their canes off the ground. I was wondering if the difference could be fertilizer. My soil is much improved over what it once was and can't change that. But it is not going to receive any extras. No seaweed sprays, alfalfa meal, cotton seed meal, leaves, nitrogen ect ect ect. To see if she may grow more upright than they do now. Even before the extra care they were always covered in bloom. I believe perhaps more than they are now. Since we have had nearly zero sun this season the truer test will be next year.

Jim's advice for insecticides is good. They will do less damage to beneficial insects. You need thorough coverage of the lower leaf surfaces of plants that are getting the sawflies' attention. And I wouldn't worry about it if up to 10% of the leaf area is eaten.