Ok Crazy, but you are not! Loved your defence of Knockouts, though I have never knocked them yet, and I doubt if I ever will. Just do not have any yet, but they are on the list when I can pick a perfect spot for them. I admit, I have nothing against them, they look wonderful for me, though fragrance is my #1 priority, but that said, there are still some roses I can not live without that do not have fragrance. So rest assured not everyone is knocking the Knock Outs, I will try one or two, one day, I am sure.

..But I do have Boxwood, which I love and find is a wonderful compliment to roses, so "different strokes" ehh!!

Pauline - Vancouver Island

But, if anyone can grow nice roses then my rose garden won't stand out as much.

I actually quite like the KO roses. I have 5 - original KO, Pink KO, Double Pink KO, Rainbow KO, and Brite Eyes. They are all vigorous, pretty, healthy and free-flowering: whats not to like? I grow them in "difficult" spots in my garden, and places to which I can't pay that much attention. (In a garden that also includes over 100 other roses, mostly various old roses and climbers/ramblers, Austins, and shrubs). However, what DOES bother me is the extent to which these are becoming the only roses available at garden centers. (Well, along with some hybrid teas, which are on the other end of the easy/difficult spectrum!) I realize that real rose nuts like me will always have the option of mail ordering, but it seems a shame that the general public never gets a chance to see and try some of the beautiful, and easy, shrub and old roses that are out there. Also, I do get frustrated when I go to an "heirloom plants" sale and see them offering nothing but KO roses! I feel that the KOs are fine roses, but I just wish it didn't seem like they are becoming the ONLY roses commonly available. Just my 2 cents ...

I have one Double Knockout and I think it's pretty. I imagine this series will soon be seen everywhere as landscaping accents, like Iceberg, and I think that's fine.

I'm glad to hear you are taking good care of your roses and have found varieties that do well in your climate. That is key.

I rather enjoy seeing the splashes of color that are appearing with greater & greater frequency in public spaces. The KOs most often used are the original ones -- I suppose because the color is so vibrant.

The trend towards KOs as landscape shrubs has undoubtedly just begun. Sooner or later we'll reach a tipping point when everyone will be on KO overload.

I now try to avert my eyes when I pass those ubiquitous mass plantings of Stella d'Oro daylilies in full (& seemingly unending) bloom of goldenrod yellow. It is possible to have WAY too much of a good thing.

Over the past few years I have not been able to work in my garden as much as I would like and it thrills me to pieces to see the bright splash of color on my KO plants... I also have other roses that have survived in my "survival of the fittest" garden---My Buck roses for instance----they are also great as are a few others-----

Florence.

I passed a building today and noticed how pretty the KOs were - great in a situation for a burst of color. I've even stood around at Home Depot and told other customers to get KOs when it was obvious they wanted roses but wouldn't be able to give them a lot of time, and were novices at rose-growing.

That said, I also object to the boring swaths of these things everywhere, now even at the premium garden centers. Couldn't believe that Wal-mart, of all stores, had the best selection of older HTs and floribundas this year. And some places are charging a ridiculous price for KOs - not nice for novice gardeners who think they are getting something special. I wish the stores would also bring in lots more of the new shrub roses - I've only seen Easy Elegance one time in Home Depot. There are a lot more easy-care roses out there than KOs. It's just too much saturation, like the Stell D'oros.

I am delighted that some of my much older rose growing friends have Knockouts so they can continue to have roses. And these folks who used to be Hybrid Tea centric growers embrace their Knockouts with the fervor that used to be reserved for highpointedcenter roses.

That said, I went to town today and was surprised at how many plantings of Knockouts are around. I would guess that most were less than two years old. There is a downside: our area has heavy Rose Rosette disease pressure. I wish I could believe that all the grounds crews who tend the Knockouts would recognize RRD and react by at a minimum removing the sick canes. But I am a cynical realist and I know that Knockout and Nearly Wild can stay sick with RRD in these parts for years without dieing, so I can see a future with islands of Knockouts sourcing plumes of mites to spread RRD.
And there won't be anything we can do about it.

I happen to like rectangular boxwood.

Speaking from a zone 5 point of view, all these customers up here that are buying up all these readily-available hyped-up Knockouts that are all over the place are going to have a rude awakening when they find out their "easy-care" roses suffer from nearly as much winterkill as the typical HT.

Fragrance is a priority for me too.

Knockouts are a great choice if you want something that's crown hardy, quite disease resistant and a heavy bloomer. I grow a whole range of roses from OGRs to hybrid teas to hardy shrubs, including Knockout. Wouldn't want to be without any of them and I'm glad Knockout is in the mix. They're blooming when my other roses are resting between flushes, when I need them most. Fortunately I have my Austin roses, OGRs, Bucks, etc. to give me lots of beautiful fragrant blooms for bouquets too. It doesn't have to be one or the other.

Amen! I'm like Karen and others. I totally appreciate KO's for what they are.~barbie

Yes, another plant I hate; Stella d'Oro. OK, I have it.

I did buy a double pink KO for a friend. She has not talked with me for a while. I's sure it has nothing to do with the rose. It must be my magnetic personality.

At least they are coming out with different colors.

Home Run looks cute.

F.L.

I have 2, one of the first 2 i planted. In comparison to my other 200 roses, they are very ho hum,non-descript, nothing special, and definitely not superior in any way. they just don't stand out. I have the blushing ko's if that means anything. The only award they get here is for the ugliest flower. I haven't shovel pruned them, however last year they almost died on their own. I planted 5 red meidilands at the same time, and i think, why is ko getting all the attention? The rm's have outperformed in every way, vigor,winter hardiness, disease free and prettier foliage and flowers. talk about lipsticking the pig! well perhaps not quite a pig, but nevertheless.

The red KnockOut rose on it's own roots, is one of the 16 Earth-Kind roses that are being promoted as easy to grow and care for. I have a red one, and I don't do anything to it. With no winter protection it's still growing. I don't see any blackspot or insect problems with it. I have it in a row of old garden roses and it's doing fine with no help from me!

Wow! Love all the different reponses and views. Aren't we all just a varied bunch? It doesn't bother me for someone to not LIKE the KO's...we all have different tastes and that's what makes the world go round... I guess the problem I have with anyone "knocking" the KO is when they want to call it a NON rose. I'm sitting here looking at one of my plantings of 11 original and pink in full bloom and they definently look like "roses" to me....regardless of fragrance or "ease" of care. LOL. Thank goodness for some of them being fairly easy since I have so many other flowers and roses that DO require some extra TLC. Anyway... thanks for all the responses and happy gardening to all! April

I will always defend KO's. I have Blushing, Original, and now Double, and they dependably punch up my front yard when my other roses and plants are between flushes and blooms. They are just damn good flowering shrubs, period. I don't consider them "real" roses, compared to my Austins, polyanthas, Bucks, etc.--mostly because they lack fragrance and because they're pretty common. But that's OK--lilacs and peonies are pretty common too (at least in MY town), and I still have them and love them for what they are.

I just bought a baby knockout, and she's full of bright blooms...the center of attention in a garden that is still waiting for everything else in my cold New England climate!