Yes, I "hard prune" my Knockout roses every year - there are eleven of them, including the ones I prune in town garden planters - save for the two that I actually WANT to be 5' tall ! It's not clear in your post WHEN you pruned them (or, for that matter which Zone you are in), but here in Zone 6b, I'm usually pruning by mid-March, which allows plenty of time for new growth before June bloom. Pruning to only 1' is fairly severe - you're asking that plant to do an awful lot of hard work! - and personally, I opt for about a 2' pruning level. One of the beauties of "Knockouts" is that you can continue to judiciously prune them during the growing season (until late August here); check out the Rose Forum for some really expert advice on when, how and why to prune roses. Carl

I would wait until they go dormant. I usually like to wait until early march when new buds start to appear. You can whack them back to a foot.. That will keep them compact to about 3 feet by the end of the year... 18" will get you 4 feet. They will bloom every six weeks from may-November.. You can take off 6" after each bloom cycle and they will pop even better... 6-8" is about the extent of "pruning" from April- dec. hard pruning is best jan-march.

I don't know if you saw the reply to your Georgia post but here it is, in case you missed it. "All of the Knock Out® Roses are patented. Asexual Propagation is prohibited without permission from the Conard-Pyle Co." I am not sure what roses are excluded from propagation but would assume carpet roses would at least be one.

Bengal, How many hours of direct sunlight do they get a day in June? They may not be getting as much light as you think. Also, the lower half of the bushes being leafless is not normal. Knockouts under stress, even a black spot outbreak....yes, Kockouts are black spot resistant, not immune, will be bare of leaves on their lower parts. It appears your desire is to have bushy, lush Knockouts. With good management: adequate light, water, fertilization, and growing in good soil with good drainage, in time, your Knockouts should meet your expectations. It takes time, even for Knockouts. One thing you should consider is testing your soil to determine if it is in the correct, slightly acidic range. Growing roses in soil that is of the correct pH is crucial. There are inexpensive pH testing devices available. Amazon sells dozens of different makes and models. They are easy to use. Some are better than others. The soil probe meter types are my choice because you can test the soil for each rose bush right in its immediate root zone. If your soil needs its pH corrected, it is a simple matter to do. There are many sources for information on a rose's pH requirements. Also, all the well composted manure you can apply to your roses is the best growth boosting thing you can do for your roses. I would give about a gallon per rose (1/2 of a 2 gallon bucket full), more for bigger bushes. Scratched into the top 2" of soil around each bush, then additionally top dressed about an inch or so of manure on that, with a nice layer of mulch above that, done in early spring every year will result in phenomenally healthy roses. Always use well rotted, composted manure. Not all manure is alike. If you are reading ingredients on manure bag labels, some so called manure is actually a mixture of manure and compost....watered down with compost, sometimes up to 49% compost if it is the second, and only other ingredient listed. Manure is old fashioned.....used for millennia in agriculture, but still the best 'fertilizer'. Moses