Knockout Roses
Knockout roses are the most disease resistant rose on the market today. William Radler developed these resilient roses in 1988 after many years of work that started in his basement with a fluorescent shop light around the mid 70s. He started this development by crossing the best of the best with each other, then crossing that one with another best of the best rose. After years of doing this, with a number of roses, he then crossed two completely unrelated roses and so was born the knockout rose. A rose that is one of the most widely planted rose in rose gardens today. Caring for knockout roses is a breeze and they are one of the best plants to start off with if a novice rose gardener.
The knockout rose family only consists of 7 different kinds of knockouts. You may check your local nursery for what is available in your area. The mother and the original of the family is the Knockout, and then there comes the Pink Knockout, Rainbow Knockout, Double Pink Knockout, Sunny Knockout, Double Knockout, and Blushing Knockout.
Planting Your Knockout Rose
According to William, the best way to start caring for knockout roses is to make sure to plant the rose bush about 2 inches deeper than what it was originally in the pot. In other words, the soil in which you plant your knockout rose should be set higher on the rose cane than what is was in the pot. This will bury some of the canes of the rose, which ensures your plant will make it through the winter, especially in the northern regions. This also helps with rabbits, which all rosarians know how much of a pain they could be. When the new season starts there will be more than one cane than emerges from your soil ready to grow.
When caring for knockout roses, the trick to help keep them blossoming all season long is to cut the hips off before they start going to seed. By doing this many have seen them bloom for 3 weeks, rest for 3 weeks then repeatedly bloom for the rest of the season.
Pruning
When caring for your knockout roses, properly pruning before the new season starts is the best way to go. Pruning at the end of the growing season is highly not recommended since you are never quite sure how far the plant is into dormancy. Pruning or cutting back their foliage at the end of the season will not let the rose properly go into dormancy for the winter season since it needs its leaves to enter into a full state of dormancy. Always prune your plant before the growing season just above a union to help promote new growth. Be sure to use a very sharp blade or gardening sheers and cut on a 45 degree angle.
Caring for knockout out roses is easy and perfect for any backyard or landscape. All the rose gardeners and enthusiasts that I have spoken to will agree that once you start planting knockout roses in your garden, you will be hooked, and want to grow all 7 kinds. Remember deep planting and proper pruning in part with properly caring for knockout roses throughout the season will help ensure a beautiful rose garden for many years to come.
Landy Centeno has been a rose gardening enthusiast for over 10 years. He loves to plant his rose garden in spring with his wife and daughter in the Wi area. For more information on properly caring for knockout roses please visit http://www.roselanding.com
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