Hi misslori, I can only comment on the knockouts. They definitely will get larger than 2 ft. Usually 3-4 ft. and some people say up to 5 ft. tall. Not really sure if any of these stay that short. I hope carefree wonder gets taller cuz I have three new ones in a spot I want them to get 3-4 ft. tall at least. Good luck, Judy

I guess I could deal with 3', but don't really want them to be much bigger than that.

Here is my experience in zone six/seven: my Bonica's are easily 4 x 6 and bloom heavily in the spring and sporadically after that, my Knockouts are 4 x 4 and bloom in flushes all season, Nearly Wild is about 3 x 3 and suffers terribly from powdery mildew, and Carefree Wonder is about 2 x 2 and limps along from year to year. This is its third year, so it had better impress me this year.

As far as form goes, if I were going to choose one of these roses for a hedge, I would go with Knockout. Bonica is beautiful, but it tends to get wider than it does tall. I have to whack it back to keep it in bounds because it is three feet from a walkway.

Some clickable thumbnails: (I found that I don't have a good picture of Knockout; I'll have to get one this year.)

Bonica
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Nearly Wild
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Wow down and dirty I would like to have one of both of those. They are gorgeous.
Misslori I don't really think you will be able to get a knockout to stay at three feet. I guess you could try though.
Have you ever seen the fairy roses? I have 3 kinds of them.
Fairy-Lt. pink and gets about 3 ft. tall.
Lovely Fairy-Med. pink and gets about 2 1/2 ft. tall.
Fairy queen-Dark pink and gets about 2 ft tall.
All three of mine bloom all summer. They are small clusters of flowers and the Fairy is more upright than the others. I will try to post a couple shots of them in arrangements because I can't find any bush shots of them.
Good luck choosing something. Judy

Lovely Fairy and Fairy Queen in this arrangement.
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All three Fairies in this arrangement.
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You might consider Double Knock Out. Mine are only 2 years old but so far have stayed under 3x3. Maybe their 3rd year they will finally take off, but my general impression is that the bush is more compact than that of the regular Knock Out.

Double Knock Out has bright cherry red blooms a bit smaller than regular Knock Out's but a bit more interesting also since the blooms are semi-double. It also has good disease-resistance.

Kate

I agree w/Dublinbay. Are the people talking about KO getting big in zone 5? My DBK KO is in a prime spot, and it only gets to 18"-24" each year.

Carefree Wonder is tall for me. 3 ft? But the rebloom took forever last year, it's 2nd year in the garden. It better make a strong showing this year or Heritage is going in its place.

D & D your roses are lovely, especially Bonica! I always loved that rose but refuse to put any more roses in my garden until something can be done about the JBs. I'll live vicariously through you guys for the time being!

I realy like my knockout hedge. They do not get too tall in my yard with full morning and afternoon, about two feet by the end of summer. They are always in bloom and tidy!! They don't get leggy or lanky. I personaly do not like knockout if it is not in a hedge, but as a hedge it is one of my favorites. Amy

Zone 7 checking in here. Knock Outs are over 5 feet tall. Carefree anything is large. Carefree Wonder with the prettiest of all Carefree blooms (except for Beauty that I have just received)is tall and quite wide. They are on a hill so I am not sure that they are over 5 feet, but they do get wide.

I don't prune as much as most people, but I found Knock Outs to be a little winter tender here.

I don't have the other two.
Sammy

Hi misslori, Judy again!! The double knockout also comes in a bubble gum pink color and it is a gorgeous color if you like pink. And I think it stays shorter than the orignal knockout.
Wow Amy thats so wild how the knockout only gets to two feet in your zone. Since you two are in the same zone missloris might only get two feet tall too!!!

prettypetals, for me they have to be pruned heavely in the spring due to winter die back at liest last year they did. This year they don't look as bad. Last year I had to prune a second time after the April freeze. After posting earlier I checked the knockout and was wondering if I should prune them as hard this year or see??? Anyway I do know that if pruned heavely they have stayed about two feet for me BUT this is going to be their third season and I should have thought of that. Maybe they will take off this year. The McDonalds and my parents neighbor has them and they are not too big. Amy

Pink Knockout...

Why not choose the best? Earthsong and Quietness are two of the best Buck roses, 3 feet and easy care.

PrettyPetals - I ADORE your vase in your 2nd picture!!!!! However, I don't know if I could bear parting with THAT MANY roses from my garden!! Really, really pretty!

Carol

I like Bonica ... it definitely blooms a lot ... but I'm thinking that it can get larger than 2 foot tall.

Nearly Wild stays fairly small for me ... but doesn't bloom as continuously.

I've got Pink Knockout ... but it could bloom more.

Carefree Wonder has a nice bloom, you've got to wait for it though ... and, likely will stay the smallest.

I'm going to try Quietness this year

Pink Gruss an Aachen is another rose for you to consider.

All of these roses will be smaller (in size) because of your zone (like mine).

Hi Amy, I have had my knockouts for about five years now and they get about four ft. tall. At first I pruned them hard and they stayed about three feet but now I prune to about 16-18 in. and they top out at four ft. Thats something how the different climate effects everything too.
Thanks Carol, I love to make arrangements and as long as I have quite a few blooming then I can bare it. I love those little fairies. They are very quick to rebloom after each flush. Thats suppose to be a pot pourri dish but I will turn anything into a vase if it will hold water. lol!! Thanks, Judy

Another vote for the KO's. In my similar zone, they get 3+' without much pruning. If they were more heavily pruned you'd have a tidier hedge at about the right height, I think.

I have about 15 of these knock out's in my yard and I absolutely love them! They will thrive an thrive and the best thing is you can keep cutting them back to your liking and they will just keep popping out those flowers like crazy. I have the (rad raz) with is the dark hot pink and they are mixed in with boxwoods. The deep rich color (rad razz)looks very nice mixed in with and kind of dark evergreen shrub. I have a Care Free wonder and really dont think it grows well. I planted a Bonica for my Mom one year and I thought it was just ok. I would say your best bet is to go with the knock outs and maybe mix a few bonca's in there for color variation if you are having a hard time deciding.

Looks like Knockout is the winner. I will look into Quietness also, though I'm not sure anyone around here sells them. Is it too later for mail order? And from whom?

YEAAAAH!! I think you will love your choice. Make sure you look at the original knockout and the pink knockout. I love, love, love the pink one. They are both gorgeous. The blushing one I think fades quickly but the other two hold their color quite beautifully. Can't wait to see pictures. Good luck and happy gardening, Judy

Gorgeous! In your alternating scheme, is there 1 pink, 1 red, etc., or are there multiples of each color together?

Also jess...what zone are you in?

Yes it is Red Knockout then a Pink Knockout. I live in zone 6b I think. The a and b confuse me sometimes.. Live closer to Philadelphia PA so is that 6b??