TJ I have the same problem that's why I'm replacing all my hybrid teas,I do have knock outs and it is disease free I don't even fertilize them bUt they're always in bloom but I think it is boring rose I see them everywhere ,I'm from Maryland too like you and knock out roses are all over the place all my neighbor have them and it don't have fragrance.

Mrie Pavie is not BS resistant in MD. Tried it many times.
Noisettes are marginally hardy here, except Blush Noisette(and similar) and Mme Alfred Carrier, but they all black spot badly here. Ducher is better than other chinas for BS here, but it still defoliates completely couple time during summer. The same for Mutabilis Cramoisee Superior and le Vesuve.
The good list to try (for repeat bloom) in my experience in MD:
Darlow's Enigma (bullet proof)
Home Run (some BS, but not much)
Floral Fairy Tale
Eliza
Arethusa
Quitness (some BS)
Earth Song (recovers well from BS)
Winter Sunset
Carefree Sunshine (some BS)
Quadra
Olga

I, too, am removing most of my HT's. I'm just not able to win the wars with black spot, beetles and midge.

My four KO's will remain. I don't use them in rose beds the way I would an HT. They are used as landscape shrubs. They always look good, require little maintenance and are resistant to the pests mentioned above.

T.J. the best thing you can do is follow Olga's advice. If you do want a knockout, I grow Blushing Knockout, which is a sport of the original, but has a much better color to my mind - it is a soft medium pink, fading to light pink. The flowers have 7-8 petals, and don't open flat like a single, but stay sort of cupped - I think they are graceful. The foliage is grey/green. Mine has been in full bloom every since I planted it 2 months ago, and has had no bugs or disease at all. The deer munched on it, but that cannot be counted as the rose's fault!

Jackie

No perennial I know of grows without some care and maintenance, even grass. Knock Outs are roses. If you want them to perform and look their best they will require the same basic care that any rose requires, good soil, abundant sunshine, regular watering, some fertilizing and occasional pruning. After that how much time and effort you want to invest is up to you. So for my money and time I'd rather get a rose that at least has a prettier form and more fragrance. You've gotten some good suggestions here. Look at the on line nursery sources and find something you love and go for that.

Northern Accents 'Ole' is the best shrub rose I've ever planted.

The only thing that has ever bothered it where JBs. But what rose isn't immune to JB?

I'd say I'd get 4-5 heavy flushes like this per season. I bet in zone 6 or 7 is might get 5-6 as I always get a bud set in late October but it gets too cold too fast.

{{gwi:302493}}

Knockouts are easier. They keep their foliage, and bloom almost continuously through the season.

I especially like the Double Knockouts. The red is deeper than that of the single, and it can be stunning in bloom.

The pink double is nice, as well.

I also like the red, pink, and blush singles ... they keep color in the landscape when everything else is taking a break.

Other roses that I've found are fairly easy (requiring no spray) are Carefree Beauty, Quietness, Mary Rose, the Fairy, and Bonica.

I also grow and love Eglantye. Though it defoliates, its blooms are worth it.

And I grow a few younger Austins which I haven't had long enough to judge on ease ... Sharifa Asma, Munstead Wood, and Mayflower.

I have a few KOs (double pink) as landscape plants. Sure, they are easy (once the drip system/timer is doing the watering) but my Austin shrub roses are no more effort and they reward with much prettier blooms and much better fragrance.

Some of the Austins bloom more continuously than the KOs too and are disease free all season. I've been thinking about replacing the KOs with roses I like better, like the Austins. I also have the Fairy/Lovely Fairy and they're good landscape roses as well, covered in tiny little flowers but again no fragrance.

Are there any Austins that are even reasonably disease resistant in Maryland? The only ones I'd even consider are fairly atypical (species crosses, basically)

Funny, I guess it is a zone thing--here we have hot and humid all summer but I guess the winters get colder so maybe that kills the spores and keeps the fungal stuff under control. I don't do any spraying and mine may show a few spots on the leaves but nothing that slows them down by and large.

But surely there are other highly disease resistant roses that have some personality and aren't the ubiquitous KO--I guess that, although I grow a few of these I've developed a major grudge against them as they are planted in huge RRD-infested swathes at my workplace and I feel like I'm providing a free ride for the mites home to my garden every time I walk past. I wish they'd rip 'em all out!

There are some disease resistant and winter-hardy roses for every climate. The thing about Knock Outs is they are adapted to a wide range of climates and they are available at garden stores.

There are lots of disease resistant roses for Southern California, but not many for TJ's location in Maryland, or here in Southern Appalachia. Olga has lots of experience with the worst eastern conditions, and her list is trustworthy. Growers in the deep south and midwest have a lower level of blackspot pressure.

Good mail-order sources include Roses Unlimited and Pickering Nurseries.

The difference between the Austins that I do grow (in Zone 5) and the Knockouts ... is that I get mild to moderate Blackspot on the Austins (Mary Rose, Cottage Rose, William Shakespeare 2000, and Eglantyne)

Lichfield Angel grows pretty Blackspot-free, but my specimen has Rose Mosaic Disease.

I've only had Munstead Wood, Mayflower, and Sharifa Asma for a year, so the jury's still out on them.

Mayflower is supposed to grow pretty clean.

In my experience all repeat blooming Austins get BS here in MD. Some are better than others, but all will loose at least 1/2 of their leaves. Constance Spry (once blooming) is better than others in health here.
Mayflower gets terrible BS here. Sharifa looses most of its leaves, but regrows them and looses again. Still it is better than most others, but no comparison with KO in health.
Olga

Knock-outs are the Wonderbread/Ford Fiesta's of the rose world. They were developed for the Everyman. They are easy to grow most everywhere and have only visual appeal. No fragrannce, no texture, no personality. As Connie says, there are lots of other alternatives.

My climate is not anything like yours (I live in eastern Washington) but I have had good luck with old fashioned shrub roses (mainly once blooming) and some hybrid musks and polyanthas (repeat blooming). I do have two yellow knock out roses (from Lowe's sale) with pink edges...and they fade to an ivory as they age. They're very pretty and I really like them. I think they look great, mixed in with lavender and pink perennials...and maybe cosmos and stock (annuals).

Celsiana is one of my favorite old fashioned shrub roses. It's a damask and it blooms for a long time...four to six weeks. Here's a picture (not mine) that inspired me to get Celsiana. {{gwi:324015}}From Lavender's Garden

Echo (Baby Tausendschon) from Rogue Valley Roses is a pretty little rose, too. I don't know how it is with humid conditions, but it does very well, in my garden. This is my picture :) {{gwi:324018}}From Lavender's Garden

I just posted a new forum question and now see this thread, so I'll mention it here as well. I just lost 4 knockout roses over the winter. They were well established, probably 10+ years old. SO disappointed. Anyone else having this problem this spring?

Hi, knockouts are great because they bloom continuously and are usually covered in flowers. However, they have drawbacks like lack of scent and are not as large or frilly as some other roses. I am like you. I hate bare legged roses, but knockouts and a few other roses have given me hope. I do baby my roses by giving them fertilizer, but they are otherwise not very demanding. My best for no care are Mrs B R cant and Alexander hill grey. I am not sure tea roses like mine would be hardy in your area. Others have given their 2 cents, and are probably right... What about rugosa roses for you? They usually have great scent. Anyway, yes, roses can be difficult, but if you choose wisely, you can probably find a perfect rose for you. If you can't find the perfect rose, consider moving to California where roses are much easier to grow.

The last line above is a joke...