Now things have changed. The Knock Out rose has arrived to save the day. You have probably seen more and more landscapes with this variety of rose, including places you would have never planted a rose before. They are at neighborhood entrances, club houses, businesses, and mall parking lots. They have really brought a new dimension to the commercial and homeowner landscape. Just the mere fact that they are showing up in the commercial landscape as frequently as they are really tells the story of how easy they are to maintain.
What do they need? It's simple. We prune the roses 3 times per year on average. We prune them with hedge trimmers (as opposed to the hand pruning that is required by other forms of roses). We will do a shape up going into spring. We will then do another trim in the July time frame after their first flush. This will set them up to flush again. It is also an opportunity to keep them under control where they might need to be kept low for visibility. Once we are getting toward the end of the season we will trim them one more time and shape them up usually in September.
We do make sure to fertilize them each time we trim. That has proven to be very successful for the rose production and health of the plant. Knock Outs are hardy plants with a high resistance to pests and disease. Under the right conditions, they avoid the powdery mildew and black spot that can be so prevalent on other varieties of roses.
Mom would be proud to see roses in my landscape. I guess being a good son I would have to tell her how easy the Knock Out rose is to grow. So there you have it in short form, everyone's rose.
Thanks,
The AA Tex Lawn Team
