Knockout Roses
My dad always enjoyed gardening and had beautiful gardens throughout his property. But the one thing he always complained about were his roses. No matter what he did, he always got black spot on his Tea Roses and it really bothered him. So, a few years ago, I gave my dad a small, 12" Knockout Rose for his birthday. At the time, I was taking a class on Woody Plants at Farmingdale and my teacher was Vinnie Simeone, director of Planting Fields Arboretum in Oyster Bay, New York. He spoke to us not only about the beauty of these shrub roses, but also the ease in which they can be cared for. Knockout Roses are disease resistant, drought tolerant and self cleaning, so there is no need to deadhead. At Planting Fields, he was slowly replacing the Tea Roses with shrub roses. This was a plant I knew my dad had to have.
Take a look at it today:
Clearly it is doing well! And as promised, it has been disease free and maintenance free. He prunes it every spring, but otherwise, he just lets it do its thing.
The rich cherry red/hot pink flowers begin blooming in the spring and will continue until the first hard frost. The foliage is a dark purpleish green and turns burgundy in the fall. It enjoys full sun. They are a wonderful plant for every garden and landscape.
Dear Kate, This is certainly a success story. In my view all of the shrub roses, particularly the old fashioned varieties, win hands over the hybrid teas which I do not care for very much. I wonder if your father has tried growing late flowering clematis through his roses for interest once flowering has finished?
ReplyDeleteThanks Edith! That is a great idea and will certainly share it with him.
ReplyDeleteI dug out a new garden area & purchased 2 Knock Out shrubs today. Still trying to figure out what else to put in the area. I currently have a bird bath & feeder. I'm going to add a few perennials & fill in with annuals this year. Glad I found your blog. You have a new follower.
ReplyDeleteHi and welcome! I just purchased one for my garden too. They get big so be sure to give it some room. I have daisies nearby -but mostly because those are my favorite :) . Once it fills in you will have a better idea what to plant near it.
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