Q. re: Knock Out rose - my 1st rose

13 years ago

I've tried roses years ago but they were too much effort so today, at Lowe's, I was lured by the knock out roses and decided to buy one.

I bought the single regular red one, not double or pink, though I was tempted.

It came in an 8 inch pot and I put it in a 12 inch pot with an inch of gravel on the bottom and good potting mix soil and mixed in the packet of Rose fertilizer it came with. And, of course, watered it in.

IT LOOKS GREAT!

I'm planning on planting it in late August as I don't think it would do well in a pot over winter. Plus, I really bought it for the garden, not for a pot.

OK, now my questions:

1 - I heard they look good grouped together so will it look lonely being all alone? Should I buy 2 more?

2 - How big do they get and how fast do they grow? And, if I buy 2 more, how far apart should I plant them? 3 feet?

3 - Does it really bloom all summer? Besides dead heading, do I need to prune it during the summer to produce more blooms?

4 - When should I prune it in general - spring or fall?

I'm so tempted to buy a different rose I saw there that was rainbow sorbet colored - so gorgeous! Can't recall the name, but I'm afraid so I just bought the knock out.

THANKS!

Natanya

Comments (9)

karl_bapst_rosenut
13 years ago
A grouping does look good. I'd plant them into the garden now so the roots can get established. Even the hardiest roses can die the first winter if the roots have not had an opportunity to grow into the surrounding soil.
August is a really hot dry time to transplant a potted rose. Unless you water regularly and deep you could lose them especially if the soil falls from the roots when you transplant.
Nature size and planting distance is determined by your growing zone.
Pruning can be easy. After each flush of bloom, allow the flowers to fade some. Use a pair of hedge clippers and remove the dead blooms along with a inch or so of cane to shape the bush. In a few weeks new buds will form along with new growth. You'll have more flowers within a month.
Yearly pruning should be done in spring. Remove winter killed canes and dieback along with any damaged ones. Cut back as far as you want to shape the bush and keep it in bounds.

As much as many rosarians complain about Knock Out being the only roses available in many garden centers, their ease of growing and hardiness encourages many to grow roses again. The desire to grow roses soon entices them to try other varieties.
karl_bapst_rosenut
13 years ago
Go the the following link to find a NJ rose society near you. Contact information will be listed with each society.
They can give you the best info regarding height and planting distances in your area.

Here is a link that might be useful: NJ rose societies
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It may well be too late to think of it, but if you want something lower-growing, some of the Polyanthas might be your answer for generosity of bloom and low stature. In our area, China Doll has been used and used and used because it matches those requirements. For a red, there's Mutterdag (Mother's Day) and Lady Reading. Salmon Pink Margo Koster, and all the rest of the Koster sports (do "Contains" KOSTER in a HMF search, or check Vintage's catalog). I'd use any of those guys before I'd try a Knockout -- Not because I'm a snob, but because Knockouts would be such horses, and because I don't want anything that mildews. In a more modern vein, if you want something truly low-growing, I'd use Kim Rupert's lovely 'Lauren' or 'International Herald Tribune' if I wanted poiple. For White, I might use Pope John Paul (or try the white China, 'Ducher.') For Yellow, gosh, how about Julia Child? For red, I'd really go back to Mother's Day. Jeri
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You probably didn't kill them, but you didn't do them any favors,either. Somehow, some folks in Tennessee have decided that roses are the same plants as other shrubs. This leads to some who severe prune as early as late September and again in November. This sort of thing takes strength away from the plants. Roses don't want to go dormant here. If you cut them in fall, they'll put out new growth in two to four weeks, even though it's not yet winter. That growth will probably be killed in late December, and that earlier cutting will have taken away the stored 'strength' that would go to regrow the plant in spring. I've watched some Knockout that have been pruned three times this fall. I don't know what the heck the grounds crew thinks they are doing, much less why. What you should have done (in my opinion) was go through and snip off broken canes. Then in late December go in and prune back for height, depending on how high you want them to be next year. The winter killed new growth that you are going to get, you'll see it contorted and blackened, you can snip it off in winter as well.
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I'm with Sheila; using those two chemicals is overkill. The main thing newly planted roses need is regular watering and time to make root growth before any fertilizer is applied. KnockOuts are really tough so I suspect something more is going on here. There may be air pockets around the roots, which prevents the roses from taking up water. Check the ground around the base of the roses by pressing down with your feet to ensure the soil has been firmed around the roots. Then apply water and observe closely; if bubbles appear on the surface you have have air pockets. When planting, it's a good idea to fill the planting hole just halfway with soil, then water until bubbles no longer appear, then fill the hole up the rest of the way and water again.
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diane_nj 6b/7a
13 years ago
1. Yes, if you have the space, but...

2. In my part of NJ (eastern Monmouth County), Knock Out get to 5' - 7' tall and 3+' wide. I would plant them 4' on center (4' from the center of one to the center of the next one). It will take 2 - 3 years to reach that height.

3. Yes. You can just go through and clip off the old blooms, that's all of the deadheading/pruning that it needs.

4. In the late winter, when the forsythia (yellow flowered shrub) blooms, then you can cut out any dead canes and shape the plant. The first couple of years there shouldn't be much to do.

Unless you are moving, it should be planted in the ground now. August is kind of late to transplant a rose (and it is hot hot hot).

Start with Knock Out. You can move on to something like Rainbow Sorbet next year.

I am a member of the Jersey Shore Rose Society (Ocean, Monmouth, Middlesex, Somerset counties), and I also have a list of all of the Consulting Rosarians in the state, drop me an e-mail and I will send it along.
scardan123
13 years ago
They are great roses IMO but it would be a shame and a mistake to plant only KOs. There are so many other healthy reblooming roses that deserve a place in the garden!
In a z6 like yours, I would also use some rugosas, like roseraire de l'hay, scabrosa, frau dagmar haartrup and some of the pavement rugosas. They are too carefree, and many also make hips. In my zone /z8a) they also bloom 2-3 weeks before the KOs :-)
diane_nj 6b/7a
13 years ago
Training wheels, I start everyone off with training wheels (Knock Out, in this case)...

And this year, in my area, the Knock Outs started blooming before the rugosas. I grow Blushing Knock Out, and it will be lovely in a day or so when it will be covered with blooms.
Bumblebeez SC Zone 7
13 years ago
I'd get it in the ground now. If I don't trim mine, they get at least 7' tall. The canes are trunks.
rehabbingisgreen
13 years ago
I'd get that rose in the ground and let her get established. I have a pot garden for now till we get to our house. I have knock outs and they don't do well for me in pots even in the summer. I may have lost 2 of the three. I have only one of the three that has any visible green left on the canes. Only my hardiest roses have any leaves because this winter has been long. The knock outs just don't do well in general for me and produce few flowers. Yours should do fine in the ground but give it a chance to get established before winter. Carefree Beauty is one that does really well for me and she's pretty and hardy. You might want to give her a shot too.
radagast
13 years ago
Knockouts are a good place to start!

Best of luck with your roses; there are lots of folks on this forum who can help you out with good info.
zack_lau z6 CT ARS Consulting Rosarian
13 years ago
Congratulations on the first rose--a good choice for your climate!

Q. re: Knock Out rose - my 1st rose

Comments (9)

karl_bapst_rosenut

karl_bapst_rosenut

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