Double Knock Out Roses

The successful launch of the Knock Out Rose happened when it was judged the 2000 AARS winner. Today it is America’s favorite shrub rose and is the rose that is most widely sold in North America. A major reason these roses are the best roses to grow and are so popular is their ease in growing and they do not need special care. These roses belong to the Knock Out Family of Roses and are the most disease resistant roses available. They bloom every five to six weeks throughout the summer until the first hard frost and are winter hardy up to zone 5.

There are many advantages in using Knock Out Roses as they adapt well to any landscape as a hedge, individual bush or intermingled with other annuals and perennials in flower beds. They display well in foundation planting or on either side of a brick driveway creating an inviting entrance to a home. These roses are self-cleaning and do not require deadheading. If not pruned, they can grow to more than 3 to 4’ tall. To maintain a smaller size they should be trimmed to 12 to 18” in the early spring or after the first hard frost.

These roses prefer moist well draining soil, thrive in the sun and because of their total black spot disease resistance are really easy to grow. They prefer organic fertilizer over chemical fertilizer which promotes fast growth, weaker flower stems, more foliage and fewer flowers.

Now that you know why Knock Outs are the best roses to grow, here are the members of the family.

• The Knock Out® Rose is red, blooms almost continuously during summer. It has brilliant red clusters of fragrant flowers, glossy foliage and tight compact growth.
• The Double Knock Out® Rose has twice the number of petals, is fuller, richer in cherry red color that looks almost florescent. It blooms continuously from early June until hard frost. It grows in compact upright fashion, thrives in very humid climates and is more winter hardy and shade tolerant than the single rose.
• The Pink Knock Out® Rose is a continuous bloomer with medium pink single flowers is disease resistant, carefree, winter hardy and blooms profusely.
• The Pink Double Knock Out® Rose is just as beautiful as the Double Knock Out (DKO) but with intense ‘hot’ pink blooms. It has the same growing characteristics as the DKO.
• The Rainbow Knock Out® Rose, the 2007 AARS winner, has abundant single flowers in coral pink with yellow centers. It is a bushy, compact, rounded shrub with dark green semi-glossy foliage, resistant to black spot, powdery mildew, and rust. It is more disease resistant than its parent and grows to 3’in width.
• The Blushing Knock Out® Rose blooms continuously in bright pink single flowers fading to shell pink. It is carefree, winter hardy and blooms profusely all summer. Works well for hedge, border or foundation planting.
• The Sunny Knock Out® Rose produces abundant single 3”wide bright yellow flowers with 5 to 6 petals. It grows as a bushy, compact rounded shrub with dark green semi-glossy foliage, and is more disease resistant than its parent. It has no fragrance.
• The Home Run Rose is an offspring of the Knock Out Rose Family. It has a naturally rounded shape with dense foliage, is nearly always in bloom and is possibly the most disease resistant shrub rose available.

Now you know the story of why Knock Out Roses are the easiest and best roses to grow. The family of roses provides many choices to fill your garden landscape and make it the envy of the neighborhood.

To learn more about roses get the Guide To Growing Roses.

For more on Knock Out Roses see this Ezine article.

The ever popular prize winning Peace Rose is now available as a jumbo climber. The Climbing Peace Rose is just like the original Peace with petals that are lemony yellow tipped with rosy pink at the edge. As the rose unfolds the color gradually deepens to cerise–pink with ivory yellow center. Imagine the beauty and abundance of blooms and fragrance you will enjoy all season long beginning in June and extending until frost. This magnificent rose is hardy in zones 4-10 does well in sun and well drained soil. It has a spread of 2 to 3 feet and will grow 8 to 10 feet in height.

Use of climbing roses in your landscape offers many benefits:

• They can be planted in a narrow area where space is limited.

• A trellis can turn a blank wall or space into a lovely display.

• You can conceal an ugly chain-link fence.

• Add shade to your arbor

• Bring color to an old wooden fence.

• Create an eye-catching entryway to your garden with a rose-covered arch.

For a spectacular display of flowers consider the Climbing Golden Showers. It has colorful waves of blooms from spring until frost. They have large, fragrant, bright daffodil yellow, ruffled flowers with 20 to 35 petals that resemble a starburst when in full bloom. There are many ways to take advantage of the stunning beauty of this rose to cover a trellis or arbor, a pillar or post, to decorate a fence or to create a beautiful entryway. This ever blooming, fragrant rose has luxuriant green foliage covered with a massive showing of 4 to 5 inch yellow flowers. The climbing canes reach 10 to 12 feet with a spread of 2 to 4 feet and it grows well in zones 4 to 9.

One of hardiest climbing roses with its colorful waves of blooms from spring until frost is the Climbing Show Garden Rose. It grows to 6 to 7 feet in height with a spread of 4 to 6 feet and is hardy in zones 3 to 10. It has large showy deep pink double flowers 4 to 5 inches wide. This rose blooms from late May right up to freezing and is suited for growing on a trellis, arbor, pillar or a fence.

Remember the Climbing Peace Rose and the other climbers discussed are just a few of the roses that will add pizzazz to your rose garden. They offer many opportunities to enhance and decorate your yard, porch or fence and to add shade to a garden retreat.

For more information check out the Guide to Growing Roses.

A new article was recently published in Isnare on Climbing Peace Roses Add “Pop” To Your Garden.

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Today, there are many varieties of roses, many that are descendants of the early roses. Besides the many varieties available there are other characteristics that draw people to roses. They come in all colors, form, fragrance and substance. Some bloom once while others bloom all through the season. This is the reason why gardeners find roses so appealing and want to include them in their rose gardens.

There is beauty in all parts of the flower, but it is the petals that most people consider perfection in a rose. The elements that make up this perfection include their color, fragrance, substance and arrangement. Petal formation comes in three groups:

• Single formation means the flower has 5 petals arranged in a single row. The ‘Dainty Bess’ is a single hybrid tea rose with 5 pale pink petals.
• Semi-double formation may have two or three rows of 12 to 16 petals. The hedge rose, ‘Simplicity,’ is a good example of semi-double blooms.
• Double formation or fully double blooms have more than 17 petals. Double roses tend to be larger and showier than those of fewer petals. ‘Mister Lincoln’ is a prime example of this formation.

While on the topic of petal formations, let’s take it a bit more in detail and consider the arrangement of the petals. Multi-petaled roses with large or formal shape are frequently labeled exhibition roses. They have gracefully formed petals that are symmetrically arranged with a high pointed center. The arrangement of petals as they unfurl is judged on symmetry as well as the spacing of the gaps. Each variety of rose has its own innate characteristics but each exhibition rose is at its perfect stage of bloom when it is between half and three-quarters of the way open.

Roses are also judged by their colors. Some of the elements that contribute to its color are brightness, hue, and chroma. Brightness refers to how clear and vivid the blooms are. Hue includes the visual impact of the petals and how that color varies from other colors. Chroma is the intensity and purity of the hue with no gray or white in its hue. The ideal petal of substance is an amazing blend of brightness and chroma.

For obvious reasons many gardeners choose roses for more than their fragrance, but it sure is nice to be able to enjoy their fragrance as an added benefit. Many of the most beautiful roses have little or no fragrance but they have beautiful showy blooms. About 20 percent of roses have an intense fragrance so keep an open mind when shopping. If you only want roses that smell great you may miss out on some of the exceptional varieties available. The fragrance may be given off by every part of the plant including the thorns, but the greatest concentration is in the petals of the rose. Fragrance is the result of chemical reactions in both the rose and the atmosphere.

Apparently there is a connection between fragrance and the other characteristics of the rose. Darker roses are more fragrant than lighter ones. Those with lots of petals have a stronger more intense scent than those with fewer petals. Reds and pinks are closely related with the classic rose scent. The scent of white and yellow roses is similar in to that of orrisroot, violets and other flowery and fruity scents. The ‘Crimson Glory’ and ‘Chrysler Imperial,’ both red hybrid tea roses, have won awards for their fragrance as well as the other qualities.

Armed with these top reasons for planting a rose garden, you will look upon your garden and selection of specimens for your garden in a new light. For the most satisfaction include a variety of fragrant and non-fragrant plants.

For more information you can download the Guide to Growing Roses.

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Roses are flowers that give off the feeling of warmth, giving, and love, but they also hold special benefits as well. Therapeutic benefits of roses are numerous and go back a long time in history. They have a special scent that gives wonderful aromatherapy effects for the heart and the soul. Within the rose, you will find rose oil and rose water, which are often transformed into a topical substance. Rose oil is an essential oil extracted from fresh petals of pink roses and used as an antidepressant, antiseptic, antiviral, laxative and for tonic benefits. The flowery fragrance of rose oil is often mixed with other essential oils such as lavender, geranium, bergamot, and chamomile to make aromatherapy products.

The therapeutic benefits of roses are mostly associated with topical products for skin care. They have been used for dry and sensitive skin and making aging skin look younger. The rose has also been used as a therapeutic sedative to soothe the nerves. It can help in the treatment of stress, peptic ulcers, nervous tensions, and even heart disease. You wouldn’t think that a single rose could have this much power, but it actually does.

Other therapeutic benefits of roses include having a positive influence on such conditions as circulation, bile secretion, digestion, and problems with nausea and constipation. It is also used as a detoxifier that purges the body of toxins and waste products. There are many people that will add rose petals to a cup of hot tea to soothe their sore throat. The flowers of the rose that have swollen to a seed are called rose hips. These rose hips are often used in tea form in order to help alleviate bladder infections and diarrhea. This tea is also a great source of vitamin C. Other vitamins that you can find in rose hips include E, D, B3 and A.

Roses have played a role throughout history as romantic symbols. They are often considered symbols of love and marriage, and it is the flower most often given to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Legend holds that Cleopatra used rose oil to seduce Mark Anthony. The Romans and East Indians used roses as decorations for weddings and funerals. They also believed that if you scattered rose petals at banquets it would prevent drunkenness. The rose often adorned the shields of warriors during medieval times. They were often used in religious rituals, and monks used roses as an integral part of meditation rituals.

There are many therapeutic benefits of roses as well as the visual and sensory delight they impart. The next time you stop to view or smell a beautiful rose enjoy the uplifting feeling you experience from roses.

To learn more about growing roses get your copy of the Guide to Growing Roses here

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You need to make sure that the pot that you use has a hole in the bottom so it has sufficient drainage. It will also help to add a saucer to the bottom that is filled with gravel. This will soak up any standing water that is left so that the roots are not getting too wet. You will find that there are many different roses that thrive very well for growing roses inside your home. These roses include Ballerina, Cecile Brunner, Hermosa, Peace, Sea Foam, Valentine, along with several others.

In selecting containers, you should make sure that you have the right pot made from the right material. The best types of pots that are ideal for roses are those that are made of porous terra cotta. These types of pots help to improve the air circulation for the roots of the roses. Concrete pots work very well also but they tend to be very heavy, which makes them less desirable for rose growers. Large ceramic pots or fish bowls make wonderful decorative containers. Another good type of pot is the fiberglass or plastic pot. These are great pots for areas that are extremely hot because they will retain soil moisture a lot longer. Plus these pots are lightweight, which makes them much easier to handle and move around the home. For very large or heavy pots you can find saucer dollies with rollers on the bottom to make it easier to move them.

Another very important factor when you grow roses indoors is the soil that you use. Do not fill your pots with soil you dig up from your garden. It will be too heavy and who knows what weed seeds, bugs and bacteria may be present in this soil. Use potting soil that you can purchase from the local nursery or garden store. The cheapest kind will work. If you need large amounts many nurseries sell it in bulk quantities. Proper care of the rose after planting is more important than selecting the perfect potting soil. Your goal is to produce healthy beautiful roses that you can enjoy indoors.

To learn more about growing roses in containers click here

Most people enjoy the scent and beauty of fresh roses. In fact, they are one of the most popular garden flowers grown. However, once cut, a rose has a short life; soon it will fade and dry out. For those that love roses, this doesn’t mean that you have to throw away the flower. In fact, making rose potpourri is a great way to preserve the petals and keep enjoying the scent well after nature has taken its course. Rose potpourri is easy to make and anyone can learn to do it.

The first step of the process is to select the best roses for the job. Not all roses are created equal and there are pros and cons to each kind. The popular red rose probably looks the nicest when completely dried; however, its fragrance is often weak. Orange and yellow roses have the strongest scent, but can discolor when dried, making them more suitable for wet potpourri. You also need to begin the drying process at the peak time, which is usually when the rose is about halfway open. Finally, when making rose potpourri, the drying process is critical. Keep in mind that rose petals will shrink significantly. It’s also crucial to stay away from metal as a mixing medium. Glass or plastic are much more suitable. Also, use only plain salt if called for in your recipe.

There are two types of potpourri: wet and dry. Dry potpourri uses petals that are completely dried- if you applied pressure, they would crumble. The other ingredients added are also dry. This is the easiest type to use with your first attempt at making rose potpourri. However, it can be worth the trouble to try a wet potpourri, as the scent is more apparent and lasts much longer. Wet potpourri is usually made by carefully drying and curing rose petals in salt for approximately two weeks. Other ingredients that are added, include spices, rose oil and a fixative agent such as dry lavender, oak moss, sandalwood or orrisroot (available in chopped form at many herb and spice shops). Seal the potpourri in a glass jar and allow it to meld and cure for a month. After that time, the scent will have developed and the potpourri is ready to use. Allow yourself a learning curve as you figure out the process, and use a good recipe. By experimenting with the different fixative agents and spices you can create scents that are either feminine or masculine in fragrance.

There many uses for this delightfully scented potpourri. It can be added to pillow stuffing or made into pomanders and hung in your closet. They are easy to make into sachets that can be added to any drawer or given as gifts for friends and family. Sachets are small bags or envelopes made of satin and tied with ribbon. Another clever idea you can use is to place a small amount of the fragrant mixture in a linen or lace handkerchief and tie the four corners together with a satin bow. These are especially nice to use in your lingerie or linen drawers.

Roses are only in bloom for so long. However, making rose potpourri is a fantastic way to preserve your rose petals and enjoy their scent long after their bloom has faded.

For the latest on growing roses check here

What does it take for a beginner to reap the enjoyment from growing roses? Although there are many different varieties of roses from which to choose, the care they require is very similar. To get the best from your rose bushes, you need to put a little time and effort into your rose bush care. Choose the correct variety of roses for your area, as well as the right location for planting them, and then follow up with proper watering, fertilization, insect treatment, and pruning.

The most important part of rose bush care after choosing the right type of rose is the right location for it. If you choose a rose that grows well in the conditions you have in your area it will require less care from you in order to flourish. You want to make sure that you plant your roses in full sun or areas that get at least six to eight hours of sun, and you want to plant them far enough away from other plants so that they have plenty of room to grow and breathe.

When you plant your roses, make sure that you mix plenty of organic material into the soil since roses thrive on this. Check the soil pH and add appropriate ingredients to get your soil to a pH of around 6.5, and to make sure that your soil drains well. Dig the hole large enough that is bigger than the plant so the soil mixture will surround the new plant. The proper soil mixture is important for rose bush care so the rose will have the nutrients it needs to grow.

Once your rose is planted, the next component to consider is proper watering. You want to water the roots of the rose deeply about once a week and allow the soil to dry in between watering. Try to avoid watering the leaves of the plant since this can make it more susceptible to disease. You should fertilize your roses on a regular schedule (3 to 4 times during growing season) or follow the directions provided by the supplier. Cover them with mulch to keep the soil moist and warm and to limit the growth of weeds that compete with the roses for nutrients.

Roses need to be pruned after the first two years, and this should be done in the Spring, usually in April. After that, climbing roses need to be pruned every three or four years while other types of roses normally should be pruned every year. You want to cut away any dead or damaged parts of the bush.

Another essential element of rose bush care is keeping insects away from the bushes. The organic method for doing this relies a lot on having companion plants mixed in with the roses. More conventional methods can involve chemicals. It is best to ask someone at the gardening center which pests are most common in your area and the best way to deal with them. They should be able to provide information about both organic and chemical treatments that you can try.

Armed with this information your basic rose bush care will be easier than you first thought. Follow these guidelines and watch your roses grow into beautiful bushes filled with blooms, ready for you to cut and share with your friends.

For more on rose bush care click here

Just because they are small doesn’t mean they are fragile. Actually they are pretty tough plants, since they are propagated and grown on their own roots which make them hardier in cold weather than other types of roses. They seem to do better in climates where temperatures do not go below 10 degrees F. for long periods of time.

Keep in mind that smaller plants mean smaller roots that don’t grow as deep as the roots of larger roses. This means they will need more frequent watering if you are in an area that doesn’t receive adequate rain. Their smaller size also means that you should use smaller amounts of fertilizer. A rule of thumb in fertilizing these roses is to give them one-third as much and twice as often.

During the growing season it is important to remove the faded flowers as they occur, this is known as deadheading. This is about all the pruning they need during the growing season and into the fall. Real pruning should be done in the spring but only to remove the dead parts.

Don’t let anyone try to persuade you that it is easy to grow miniature roses inside on a window sill. The major problem is that they need to be outside where they can get sufficient light and conditions are better for the overall plant health.

Miniature roses are wonderful to use in landscaping, but don’t be fooled by their small size as they grow to full size quickly and bloom all through the season. They are especially good to use for up-front placement. They make a beautiful flower border or to outline larger plants. Miniature roses are ideal for container gardening in a beautiful pot. Place them at the entrance to your house or around on your deck for small spots of bright color.

When using miniature roses in landscaping here are some tips on choosing the colors to accent your plan. If you are unsure about picking the colors, limit your choices. This may be a case of less is more and fewer colors work better together. There have been spectacular gardens using a single color especially if you have plenty of green foliage as background for the roses. Another tip is to pick colors that go well with the color of your house and trim to tie the landscape together creating a finished look.

Once you have chosen a color scheme for your landscape or garden, stick to it to avoid obvious mistakes. Colors can be harmonious meaning that they blend together smoothly producing a soothing effect. Usually they are varying shades of one of the primary colors such as red, blue or yellow. Contrasting colors can be use to accent each other. As an example you could combine blue salvia with Beauty Secret a medium red miniature rose or blue petunias next to Golden Halo, a bright yellow rose. Whatever you choose, if it doesn’t work, you can always change it for the next season, but don’t be afraid to try something new.

Check out the Guide to Growing Roses for more information.

You might also like these tips on growing Sensational Miniature Roses.

Check out the best types of rose food to feed roses. They are fierce eaters and need good fertilizer in order to have maximum blooms every year. In caring for Knockout roses, you need to work plant food into the soil in the early spring as their first feeding. This is when the leaf buds of the plant begin to swell. You should use at least one round tablespoon of plant food per plant that you are feeding, or just follow the directions on the package of the fertilizer that you use. The next feeding should be right after the first heavy bloom.

The third feeding of your roses should be in late summer. There are some areas that will need to have a fourth feeding around October.   You will find that most growers of roses follow a monthly feeding schedule for their roses in order to keep them looking at their best.  Another aspect in caring for roses is to remember that they need sufficient water in order to thrive. During the hot summer months, special attention must be taken to make sure that they don’t dry out.   If there is not enough rainfall, then you will have to manually water them.

When caring for Knockout roses, you have to watch for the pests and diseases that can damage or even kill roses. Black spot and mildew as well as blight on the plants are the main disease conditions. Insects such as the red spider, aphids, and thrips are the main insects to control.  While these roses are disease resistant you can keep them healthy by following a few simple rules.  These include: proper pruning, encouraging the good bugs in your garden that feed on the bugs that bother your roses, keeping your garden clean and using a dormant spray that kills the disease organisms before they become a problem.

Now you know how even beginners can grow beautiful, healthy Knockout roses that are the envy of the neighborhood.

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Remove the lower leaves from the stem so that at least three leaf joints are visible. These joints are where the new roots will form. Removing any thorns will also make the rose stem easier to handle. Once the leaves are removed, cut the stem to 10 inches in length and dip the end into a rooting hormone which will help to encourage faster rooting. You can either use one that is commercially available, for those growing roses from cuttings, or you can make your own by chopping willow twigs and soaking them in a bucket of water overnight. If you choose to use the home-made method, allow the cut stem to sit in the water overnight.

Next, you will need to plant each cutting into a small pot filled with good quality soil. You can add sand at the bottom for better drainage. It’s important to keep at least 2/3 of the cutting under the soil for better root growth. Gently mist the cutting and the soil and then cover and secure a plastic bag over the pot, keeping it outside in a brightly lit, but sheltered spot. You will need to check your cutting often to ensure that your stem is moist but not wet. Within a month, your rose cutting will have taken root.

You can also choose to plant your rose cutting directly into your rose garden in a well prepared spot that is sheltered from the mid-day sun. Follow the same steps but do not cover with a plastic bag. If flower buds should appear when growing roses from cuttings, remove them so that the young plant will be able to produce strong, vegetative growth. By the following autumn, you should be able to plant your rose cutting in its permanent home in your rose gardening plan.

For more on growing roses from cuttings click here.