Care of Knockout Roses

This entry is part 2 of 3 in the series Rose Bush Care

Rose Bush Care

The key to beautiful roses is proper rose bush care. Learn the best and easiest tips for caring for your roses.

If you are a wannabe rose gardener, but have held back from growing roses because of the belief that they are too difficult to grow and finicky, the Knockout Rose was bred just for you. The care of knockout roses is one of the easiest among the rose family. They are a favorite among the most impatient rose grower as they are repeat bloomers and will bloom every five or so weeks all throughout the growing season.

The Knockout Rose was bred by William Radler and is distributed by Conard-Pyle. Radler is an avid rose love and is dedicated to developing easy to care for roses. The care of Knockout Roses is similar to standard rose bush care, they are simply more forgiving of a novice gardeners mistakes.

Planting a Knockout Rose

As with any rose, Knockout Roses need to be planted in a sunny area and in nutrient rich, well drained soil. Dig a big hole in preparation to plant the rose, as least twice as big as the root ball. Amend the soil with compost or other organic matter, plant the rose, fertilize, and then water thoroughly.

Caring for Knockout Roses

One of the benefits of this rose type is that they are extremely disease resistant, so the odds are that you will not have to spend that much time combating rose pests, blackspot or mildew. The plants are bred to be “self cleaning,” meaning that while you can deadhead spent blooms, it is not necessary. Simply pruning your Knockout Rose once a year to shape and maintain the desired size will be sufficient, which will be sure to please the low-key gardener.

While some rose varieties wither under scorching heat, the Knockout Rose is extremely heat tolerant. It also is a trooper when it comes to weathering the winter and is winter-hardy to Zone 5. If your winters are severe, your rose bush will need some protection. A layer of mulch is a good first line of defense. Covering the plants before a cold snap will usually protect your bush against damage.

Which leaves the basic care of Knockout Roses. Apply an appropriate slow release fertilizer to encourage blooms. Water your rose twice a week. Finally, sit back and enjoy the beautiful blooms of your Knockout Rose all summer long.