Yes, I have the red ones, and lots of them. Don't try to match them, you'll never get the colors right. Go for lavenders (bluish tones), yellows and whites. All make the red pop.

Don't have the pink ones, so don't know what that would be like...

The trouble with your plan to blend the color of the knockouts with the rest of your garden, at least the way I am looking at it, is that the Knockouts are continual bloomers and go all spring, summer and fall. The best you will get out of the daylilies is 6 weeks at whatever month your peak bloom is. The rest of the time they are just green fans.

I know this is the daylily formum but instead of a row of daylilies in front of the knockouts may I suggest Walkers Low Catmint? Once it starts blooming in the spring, it just keeps going. The blue flowers would really go well contrasting with the red knockouts as red and blue or pink and blue look great together. Or you could mix the Catmint and daylilies to really break things up.

I have Red Knockout roses, but mine are in huge pots,and not close to the daylilies,so I have no idea about colors.I think Rita has a very good idea about it. I have never heard of the Walkers Low Catmint,but I am going to call the nursey here and ask if they have it or can get it....

Jean

Its a common plant and the best of the Catmints. There are other catmints but don't get them, get Walkers Low because it never stops blooming.

Rita is right about the color of the Catmint - that is what I have with my reds to add the "cool" blue tones. Then I put white alyssum under that and have intermixed yellow, purple, pink and white daylilies. The 'Walker's Low' is a great variety, it's what I have too.

I have the pink double Knock-outs, and I have Victoria Salvia, (the blue -purple note,) Pente, in the deep and light pinks, and the light lavender, and Portulaca (moss roses) in pinks and pink bicolors with mine.

Walkers Low Catmint is the perfect idea! That's just what you need!

I am so excited to hear a good review on them. I bought three this year. They were small and are already growing like gangbusters, and blooming great. :)

I have 'Rozanne' hardy geraniums, 'Midnight Rose' huecheras, Clematis 'Durandii', 'Integrifolia' (both blue/purple) and recta purpurea (purple foliage, white flowers) Caryopteris 'Sunshine Blue' (yellow foliage, blue flowers) Pervoskia, golden oregano and many other plants surrounding the roses.

I just wanted to stick some daylilies in there too for the contrasting foliage and their blooms too. :)

I've always wondered about the Catmints. I have shied away from them because I have cats and heard that cats will roll around in it much as they do on the real deal- Catnip. Since I grow Catnip for my furry kids I can attest to the fact that it definitely looks the worse for wear after they get through with it. And even if you don't have cats yourself, what about other peoples cats or stray cats? It's a lovely plant and I'd be interested in anyones cat experience with it.

Cats do like to chew on Catmint. My cat does most days but the plant is so robust, it does not get harmed any. And while cats are attracted to Catmint, its not as attractive as catnip to them so I have never seen a cat rolling around on any of my catmints. Truely, Walkers Low is the best of the Catmints and a great plant. Keeps right on blooming until frost. Gets too sprawly or goes in a direction you don't want? Just cut it back. It will soon start to grow again. Once its established never needs to be watered. But if its a wet spring like this or it is in a bed thats always watered, no worries as it does just fine.

I tried the Walkers Low Catmint one year and had cats from all over the neighborhood, as well as my own cat, rolling in it every night. Because my cat was very territorial about the catmint and would fight to protect his favorite plant, I got rid of it.

Debra

I have a knockout rose on each side of a bench in one garden. Then I have groups of different colored dl's scattered around. I think the black and near-white dl's would be a nice contrast to the knockouts. Someday I'm going to do a garden with nothing but true pinks, blacks, and whites.
Michelle

In case anyone is unfamiliar with Catmint here is a picture of Walkers Low. Its the blue thing :-))

If determined to plant a red daylily with KO roses, 'Little Business' is a better near-match than most, a small cultivar (T. Maxwell 1971 A 15" EMRe 3" Red Self Sev Dip Sngl Ext). Your mileage and coloring may vary from my hot and humid garden.

Nell

Thanks but I don't consider the KO roses red and don't want a red daylily. I was hoping some of the daylilies with magenta eyes would work.

I guess I'll just wait until mine bloom. I've got about 15 daylilies in gallon pots with scapes on them just waiting to be planted when they are blooming so I can see their true colors here in the PNW where they can differ from other areas.

Hmmm... my knock outs are really red, but I wonder if it is a soil/climate thing?

all the daylilies you see in front have been moved to that new bed I made... you can clearly see why I had to move them. The KO's are taking over!

Wow, fairysoapgirl, that is a lot of KO roses and I love them! They are so beautiful as a hedge like that and I think those trees behind them are a great accent.

I bought a one quart pot of Walker's Low Catmint because I remembered someone (I thought it was you, Rita:) mentioning it here on the forum. My search brought up this thread. I'm glad I did, because I missed the roses the first time around.

That Walker's Low Catmint looks taller than I thought it would get and now I am not sure where to put it. Can someone tell me how tall it grows and how much it spreads in their garden? Also, once it's established, will I be able to take starts off of it?

Thanks.

Vickie

Might be a climate/soil thing. My Knockouts and all others I've seen here are really hot pink. This is Double Knockout after rain shattered many of the blooms.

I planted Strawberry Candy near one of my plain Knockouts, her eye matched nicely. Don't have a picture of the combo.

I planted When My Sweetheart Returns near Double Pink Knockout her eye matched it nicely as well. I also planted a pink NOID that I have near that rose as well. Double Pink Knockout is a lighter pink color in person, the blooms fade quickly to a bright pink.

When My Sweetheart Returns and Double Pink Knockout

Vickie- Walkers Low is not at all really that low, maybe 18 inches? It blooms all the time. It is a speading plant but when mine grows too much in a direction I don't want, I just cut it and it just starts growing again.

I don't know about starts but I have divided some of mine many times.

Thanks, Rita. That's good news about dividing, because the place I got this only had the one plant.

I think I know where I'm going to put this now, and am anxious to see it in bloom next year. It sounds like a great plant since it blooms all the time.

Vickie

Next year? It should be in bloom NOW!!!!!!

Buyorsell, if you would like a true red Knock Out, try a rose called Home Run. It's a child of Knock Out, not a sib, and was bred by someone other than Radler (though his name escapes me at the moment), but it has all the attributes of KO in a gorgeous, rich red. If you're familiar with roses, think of a short Altissimo. I've had it for several years in my Z5 garden and there is almost no die-back. It has stayed rather small, around 3.5 feet, might get big for you, though, and it never stops blooming. I love it!

Sorry for the rose hi-jack! ;)