Shrub Rose 'Knock Out'

On Dec 1, 2017, PosterBoy from Plano, TX wrote:

Hate to knock these roses, but after four years they've been a mixed bag for me in north Texas. On a positive note, the reds in full sun have done well, with good spring and fall flushes. In the summer heat, they mostly just hang on, waiting for cooler temps (as we all do.) No fragrance. I did spray for black spot once in early summer this year.

Two reds in partial sun do OK, all things considered. Given less sunlight they are more leggy than their full sun counterparts, and have less blooms each flush, but I expected as much when I chose their locations. Their first spring flush (before the deciduous trees leaf out) is usually their best show, with the rest of the year being blah.

One yellow in full sun has been mediocre. It does have mild fragrance ... read morefor a day, but the yellow buds quickly turn white once open. Calling it "yellow" has been a misnomer for me. Had to spray more than once for black spot in summer.

Tried four of the drift (compact) series - all developed rose rosette and were destroyed after one season.

Have added epsom salts to my fertilizer routine this year, and they seem to like it. Nothing scientific, just a gut feeling.

Will take care of what I've got, but won't buy more.

On Dec 28, 2016, rossbynum from Houston, TX wrote:

I think Knock Out roses are weeds. Yes, they very disease resistant and they bloom a lot. However, they're still a rose and still require some level of care. Their abundant blooming means they need to be constantly deadheaded and if they aren't they get leggy and very spindly/ugly.

The biggest downside in my eyes is how they are used in mass plantings, especially commercially, and aren't taken care of. Because of this they become vectors for disease like rose rosette and chili thrips.

If you want roses, grow REAL roses. Roses give what you put into them. Otherwise, plant something else.

On Jun 21, 2015, elainewhite74 from Herndon, VA (Zone 7a) wrote:

Sadly, I'm going to have to give this plant a negative. Five years ago we planted 6 of these in a bed at the front of the house. They were absolutely gorgeous, very low maintenance and offered an endless drift of color. Sounds like the perfect plant.....right? Not so fast! Last year we noticed discoloration and strange, distorted limbs. After some research, we discovered our knockout roses had become infected with Rose Rosette Disease. This disease is highly contagious, and once your roses have become infected there is no cure, the plant will die. Knockout Roses were hailed to be disease resistant. Unfortunately, they are not resistant to Rose Rosette. I'm heartbroken over the loss of these plants, but out only option was to dig them up and burn them. After walking around the neighborhood,... read more almost all the roses have been infected. The only way to combat this problem is to stop planting them. http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/4990/

On Aug 7, 2013, mehitabel45 from Whidbey Island, WA (Zone 8b) wrote:

Boring rose. No scent, uninteresting flowers. Bush scraggly. Waste of space. Get a real rose.

On Mar 3, 2013, joraines from Inman, SC wrote:

I know some rose enthusiasts believe they are 'over-rated', over-planted and hyped but I love them. Having tried to raise hybrid teas in the past with the endless spraying, feeding and still watching black spot take over, Knockout Roses are like a dream come true. Endless blooms, no black spot, little watering required and they bloom even if you don't feed them. We have two of the red's at our farm sign up at the top of our long driveway far away from a watering hose and even in the hot, dry summer, they contnue to perform beautifully. I intend to try other hardy shrub roses elsewhere but for lasting season-long color, vigor, ease of care and beauty where you can't fuss with them all the time, they can't be beat!

On May 23, 2011, rcmartin from Hanover, PA (Zone 6a) wrote:

I am very satisfied with the knock out roses. I have planted 2 double pinks and 2 double reds. The reds were planted in 2009 and the pinks in 2010. Very satisfied with them, growth has been phenominal. Last year I did not cut them back very far and the reds grew to about 4 1/2 feet. This year I trimmed both kinds in the late fall and then again in the spring as they were beginning to sprout new growth. I even thinned them out like you would do on a normal rose bush. Growth has been good and they just began to blossom over this weekend (5/20-22-2011). I dead head them during the season and learned early not to go beyond the first leaf on the branch if I want additional flowering.

On Mar 17, 2011, YeeFam from Leander, TX (Zone 8a) wrote:

Planted red and pink knockout roses last May - did very well during the summer and fall.

Pruned the bushes to keep it low in December -

Started to leaf out and setting buds in mid February -

Now in mid March, it started blooming - bushes much fuller now.

My location is suburban north/Houston.

On Oct 7, 2010, braun06 from Peoria Heights, IL (Zone 5b) wrote:

The plants are great, they are tough, but heck yeah there are tons of more choices out there. Knockouts are overplanted. It is likely planted at your local Mcdonalds in large masses. I like diversity, which is better for the eye and for our virus/disease proned biology. If a disease comes through that likes the genetics of these plants so well, it will go by way of the elm very quickly and leave many cities with empty plant beds.

On Apr 17, 2010, Leehallfae from Seattle, WA wrote:

Easy care, and an early bloomer. Mine is already in flower.

It tolerates shade, does not have that wonderful rose aroma, but for the beauty she provides, that's fine. Does well in a container, or in the grouond.

On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest, I rate this Rose a Five.

On Oct 8, 2009, MsHammer from Mount Upton, NY wrote:

I have only had mine just this summer and I love the Knockout Roses! They bloomed and grew all summer long and we had a Very wet summer and cold too, up here in the Northeast. I have 2.. one is pink and one is red. They are still blooming and it is now October with cold nights and more rainy days ! We did not have too many Japanese Beetles this summer for some reason.They always ruin my other roses , but they did not harm the Knockouts. I think I will be buying more of these, since they are very hardy and kept blooming all summer. I never had to water them because of all the rain we had all summer long and now most of the Fall. I did dead-head them whenever I was out there to look at them. They are still full of buds. I will put some leaf mulch around them bottom of the plants f... read moreor the winter as I usually do my other roses. I am looking forward to learning more about these great roses!

On Jan 27, 2009, dotin87 from Detroit, TX (Zone 7a) wrote:

Great plant for mass plantings. I saw these in N. Dallas planted in the medians and fell in love with them. When we moved to our N.E. Texas ranch, we planted a hedge (20)along the entrance to our garage. They have bloomed profusely every summer since 2006. Originally, after a very wet winter two plants' leaves showed yellowing with brown edges and stunted growth. I kept watering and occassionlly fertilizing them during the droughty summer. A local nursery woman told me I was watering them too much and that they loved abuse. No problem! Quit watering the remainder of hot, dry summer- they did great. Highly recommend them for this area 7a,b, especially for someone like me that doesn't know anything about raising roses.

On Apr 24, 2008, Gardenia731 from (Arlene) Lakeland, FL (Zone 9a) wrote:

My father bought me my first knockout rose for 2007 Christmas while visiting form Puerto Rico. This was my test to begin a garden in my new house. Well, he planned this very well because I am hooked. Since December of 2007 I am on a role with these roses.

I have a very hectic lifestyle with 2 teenagers, 2 dogs, a husband and a very demanding career. I am truly enjoying all the blooms the rose provides daily. So far I am the happy owner of 2 single (1pink, 1red) and four dbl knock outs.

I highly recommend this rose to anyone who is just starting a garden(ing) and even if you are a pro this rose is a must have. Presently looking for the rainbow knockout.

On Jul 31, 2007, biddyusmc from Raeford, NC (Zone 7b) wrote:

I really like this beautiful rose. It does have a fragrance, and a very nice one at that. When there are many blooms, it is very noticeable. Otherwise, you have to get very close in order to smell it. It has flourished in over 100 degree heat with full sun exposure. My soil is very acidic and the rose blooms like crazy. This rose is a source of constant color from early spring to late fall. Like a previous poster commented, it will have deep red blooms which fade to a light pink shade before they fall off. I am very happy with this rose because it take very little maintenance and is resistant to extreme heat and humidity and freezing cold. It is nearly a no-brainer shrub that is perfect for those who have difficulty keeping plants alive and thriving.

On Jun 8, 2007, Allie88 from Palmyra, PA (Zone 6a) wrote:

I LOVE these roses. It says that they only have a slight fragrance, but we have them planted near our pool and by a walk way and they have the most delightful fragrance. I have had no disease problems, whatsoever. I bring them in my house as cut flowers all the time. They flower abundantly all summer! It's one of my favorite flowers.

On Sep 27, 2006, MagNC from Gibsonville, NC wrote:

I give it a 'neutral' only because the Japanese beetles chowed on it without mercy this past summer, I'm happy it survived and now seems to be doing well.

On Jun 13, 2006, SummerSun06 from Townsend, MA (Zone 5b) wrote:

The only rose I have grown with no die back with no protection in my zone 5 garden. I have them in an exposed site with no winter protection and they came back in better condition than roses in a protected spot with protection. They look great in a mass planting. An amazing rose.

On May 19, 2006, boneyween from Shawnee Mission, KS wrote:

Highly recommended for new rose growers because of this plant's strong resistance to the dreaded black spot disease. Blooms are initially a florescent cherry red, fading to a soft pink. In my experience, you'll get the most profuse blooming in full sun and with regular deadheading, but no special cutting techniques are required. Mine have a light scent when the blooms open, but it fades after a couple days.

On May 1, 2006, Suze_ from (Zone 7b) wrote:

Great shrub rose, very easy care. Blooms throughout the season even in the south if given sufficient water.

On Mar 15, 2006, annaprim from Wheaton, IL wrote:

I planted 9 Knockout roses under less than ideal conditions (soil not well amended, part sun) and they have bloomed and bloomed for me. The only disappointment I have had with them is that they did not produce the beautiful hips that the supplier promised. Maybe they would have under better conditions.

On Aug 14, 2005, michaeladenner from Deland, FL wrote:

Though everyone calls it a single, it's not a true single like, say, a cherokee rose. I'd call it a semi-double. Grows very nicely (on Fortuniana) here in Florida in filtered sun. Does like fertilizer, but otherwise absolutely zero maintenance. I don't even bother pruning.

On Jul 24, 2004, seedlng from Fort Lauderdale, FL wrote:

south-east florida : fort lauderdale

I WAS IMPRESSED HOW WELL THEY SURVIVE AND CONTINUED TO BLOSSOM WITHOUT ANY SIGNS OF TROUBLE. FALL LEAVES WERE BEAUTIFUL AS WELL.

pss : i was so impressed i give this plant out as gifts whenever i can thru mail orders ..to new hampshire and florida
----

I have 16 of these roses in various areas of my south florida home.

Before I bought any I was subjected 3 roses to my own experiement/s. I needed something that i did not have to
care about , that would bloom reliably and dependably.
I did not care whether they gave fragrance, although a plus.
i care about color and security aroung my yard. I also had to think about how they would look with a carefree attitude garden ... read morethat i enjoy.

I bought 3, for my experiment.

1, was kept in its nursery pot and in a water dish on my concrete patio, left in a corner of my patio that received full sun in morning and no sun in evening. watering was by handwhenever i remembered and no pruning.

2 others, were put in the ground on my nothside property side yard. they were sheered to be hedges, behind them was fence that planted vines of jasimine & bougainvillea
in a cypress mulch bedding inter planted with purple shade and white shades of verbena. watering was with a drip system which sometimes didnt not work...and pruning to create a hedge. sun was morning and evening.

After 1-year , the plant on the patio was thriving in its pot ( still after 2-3 years ). now holding its own in the same pot on my front door step , put simply in another pot. Since this is the one i left unpruned --it looked graceful and somewhat wild. the rose hips are orangy... very nice. i just have to remember to add water.
the planted in the ground are doing quite well.
i use a 3 ft wooden vine trellis that sometimes come with vine plants from the garden centers to remember where i have to prune them back to. theya re doing just fine...

--- since then i have added 5-6 to the north side back yard.
all red, i ahve added new additions to the front yard under the front window...mixed with white liriope, louisiana irises and white vinca... to create a natural grassy area. looks nice
near the 3 tier italian fountain that makes a dramatic display under a live oak near by ...

OVER ALL ---I would recommend this plant to anyone and have to say I am convinced this plant --is a good choice for beginners.
---
SUN OR PART SHADE
PRUNES NICE
NO DISEASES NOTICED
THRIVES WELL IN THE HUMIDITY.
no noticeable fragrance

thanks for listening

On Feb 11, 2004, jyoung from Baton Rouge, LA wrote:

'Knockout' roses are one of the easiest, most profuse blooming, and disease resistent plants. Used in mass plantings for landscape use in a very clay type moist soil in south Louisiana, this rose continues to thrive. We have had several nights with freezing temperatures as low as 26 F, and sevaral days of rainfall, as much as 4 inches at a time. The plants kept their blooms through late November and continue to produce new growth throughout the winter season. The summer months don't seem to affect this plant neither. Constant blooms and good growth are a plus for the rose family and all gardeners should have this one in their collection.

On Jan 10, 2003, Kathkc from East Falmouth, MA (Zone 7a) wrote:

Striking, deep red-pink color; dark green foliage; very hardy in my NE garden; black spot was not a problem, but it doesn't make a great cut flower.