How To Plant Knockout Roses by Brighter Blooms Nursery

Like no other flower in existence, the rose represents a wide range of emotions and sets the stage for scores of momentous events in our lives—especially those involving romance. In fact, the rose is so popular, it has been designated the official flower of the United States, just look at the delivery services available such as ProFlowers roses delivery.

Now, to be truthful, growing your standard garden variety rose can be a daunting challenge, even for the expert gardener. Thankfully, with the long awaited and much appreciated introduction of the Knockout Rose, even a novice gardener with a mediocre green thumb can look like a budding rose specialist.

Brighter Blooms Nursery has Knockout Roses available in sunny yellow, blushing pinks and bright fire engine red. These versatile bushes can be planted in rows to create a gorgeous flowering hedge, displayed in containers for deck or patio décor, and they can even be trained to take the unique form of a petite single-trunk tree, sporting a pom-pom shaped dome of stunning color.

Standard Knockout Roses are beautiful, but wait until you see the Double Knockout Rose. Twice as striking, each flower has double the number of petals, offering all the beauty and romance of the classic rose, but without the hassles and headaches. These eye-catching bushes produce blooms in bubble gum pink and candy apple red.

Once planted, caring for your Knockout Roses is pretty simple:

Watering: Adaptable to most any soil type. Incredibly drought-tolerant once established, Knockouts only require manual watering twice per week if there’s been no rainfall. Always water at the base, at least 2 inches deep.

Light (sun) Requirements: All Knockouts require sun for better blooming. Plan on placing your Knockout Rose bushes in areas that receive at least 6 hours of daily sun. An eastern or southern exposure is best, allowing for morning through early afternoon sun with partial shading towards the late afternoon when the rays are most intense.

Pruning: Knockouts are self-cleaning, which means you never have to cut off dead or dying flower heads—the petals simply fall away as they begin to wither. With that said, it’s important to mention that Knockout Rose bushes respond very well to pruning, whether heavy or light. Trimming should be done right after the first flush of flowers in early summer, followed up by a feeding.

Fertilizing: Although Knockout Rose bushes will perform beautifully without fertilization, your plants will soar to new heights with the introduction of a very simple feeding program. Choose a balanced fertilizer, preferably something formulated especially for roses. Always wait to fertilize until after the bushes are established and have gone through at least one bloom cycle, and never feed late in the summer towards the end of the bloom period, as the bush is preparing for dormancy. It’s also important to remember to soak the soil well prior to feeding, to avoid burning the roots. With the introduction of just one or two feedings, your plant will be more vibrant and your blooms will be bigger, brighter and more abundant.

Winterizing: Thriving in zones 5-10, Knockouts are quite winter hardy, as well as heat tolerant. In many areas of the country, no precautions are necessary in preparation for winter. However, when Knockouts are grown in climates colder than zone 5, some winterizing may be required.

In the fall, prior to the first hard frost remove any damaged or diseased stems and branches and clean up the soil under the plant. Water deeply to fortify the roots for a long winter’s sleep, then spread a 3-4 inch layer of organic mulch around the base of the plant. If you live in zone 4 and still want to try your hand at Knockouts, then wrap your rose bush in a layer or two of burlap, tied off at the top and bottom. After the last hard frost, when spring has finally sprung, unwrap your package and look forward to another long season of glorious blooms.

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Filed under: Flower Gardening • garden • gardening • home gardening

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