Great Design Plant: Knock Out Roses
As glorious as their high-maintenance kin for a fraction of the work, Knock Out roses make even beginners look like garden stars
Jenny Peterson
July 21, 2012
Houzz Contributor
You may be a little hesitant to add roses to your garden. After all, they're fussy and disease prone, and require endless spraying and pruning, right? Not Knock Out roses. These roses were introduced in 2000 to great fanfare and popularity in the gardening world because of their easy care requirements and prolific blooming. This newish rose has made rose gardening so much more accessible to the average gardener, so the biggest decision you'll have to make is which one to buy first.
Botanical name: Rosa 'Radrazz' or other specific variety
Common name: Knock Out rose
USDA zones: 4 to 9 (find your zone)
Water requirement: Consistent moisture
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 3 to 4 feet tall; 3 feet wide
Benefits and tolerances: Exceptional disease resistance and hardiness; cold and heat tolerant
Seasonal interest: Blooms nearly continuously from spring until the first hard frost, with bloom cycles every 5 to 6 weeks
When to plant: Midspring or after the last frost
Common name: Knock Out rose
USDA zones: 4 to 9 (find your zone)
Water requirement: Consistent moisture
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 3 to 4 feet tall; 3 feet wide
Benefits and tolerances: Exceptional disease resistance and hardiness; cold and heat tolerant
Seasonal interest: Blooms nearly continuously from spring until the first hard frost, with bloom cycles every 5 to 6 weeks
When to plant: Midspring or after the last frost
Distinguishing traits. This rose has a great medium size, which allows it to be used in many areas of the garden — from borders to containers. It features dark green leaves and blooms in reds, pinks and yellows. The flowers can have single or double petals, but the only one that has fragrance is the Sunny Knock Out.
There is no need to deadhead these roses, as one of their best features is that they will bloom nearly continuously without removing the faded flowers.
There is no need to deadhead these roses, as one of their best features is that they will bloom nearly continuously without removing the faded flowers.
How to use it. Because of their medium size, Knock Out roses complement any landscape and are perfect in perennial borders and container plantings. They also combine beautifully with other flowering plants, provided you choose those with similar sun and water requirements.
Daylilies (Hemerocallis spp, zones 3 to 9) are perfect spring/summer complements, as are purple coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea, zones 3 to 9). For a nonblooming partner, choose lamb's ears (Stachys byzantina, zones 4 to 10). For a great autumn companion you can't beat Mexican bush sage (Salvia leucantha, zones 8 to 11).
Daylilies (Hemerocallis spp, zones 3 to 9) are perfect spring/summer complements, as are purple coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea, zones 3 to 9). For a nonblooming partner, choose lamb's ears (Stachys byzantina, zones 4 to 10). For a great autumn companion you can't beat Mexican bush sage (Salvia leucantha, zones 8 to 11).
Planting notes. Make sure your soil is loose, fertile and well drained, and choose the sunniest site in your garden for planting.
More:
Roses: Crowning Touch of Gardens
See more guides to great design plants
- Dig a hole twice as wide and as deep as the container your rose came in, then gently remove the rose from its pot.
- Loosen up its roots and place it in the hole, replacing the soil and tamping down around the base of the plant.
- Water it thoroughly, and for the next several weeks, check on the soil moisture as your Knock Out rose is getting established.
More:
Roses: Crowning Touch of Gardens
See more guides to great design plants
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to plant a new rose in the spot where the diseased one had been, but I didn't do that. They are well worth the little care they require. Mine are all double pink Knock outs.
Our tips for rose care
1. Use a rose soil mix
Roses need special care and require a specific kind of organic rose mix. Roses also prefer a pH that is between 6.5 and 7, which is slightly acidic to neutral (7 being neutral).
2. Remember to fertilize them
Roses are hungry plants and need to be fertilized regularly to reach their full blooming potential. A natural based fertilizer with (like 5-5-5) works best.
3. Prune at a 45° angle
By pruning at a 45° angle, you can make sure water runs off the cut instead of collecting there. This helps prevent disease or mold from growing on your rose bushes.
4. Water often and early
Most roses need to be watered daily. Set watering time completion prior to sunrise. Avoid fungal diseases like black spot by using drip irrigation to keep the leaves from getting wet.
You may want to consider pairing the bold colors of Knockout Roses with purples such as Beauty Berry and Cardonna Sage