Southern Gardens 101 Helpful Hints for the Beginner by Deborah G. Keever

Author:Deborah G. Keever
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: BookWhirl Publishing
Published: 2016-04-06T00:00:00+00:00

Knock- Out- Roses

Knock- Out- Roses was the result of William Radler’s dream. He wanted to breed a rose that was elegant, disease resistant, and a specimen that need very little care. He began his love affair with roses at the tender age of 9 when he bought his first rose bush. He germinated his first Knock-Out-Rose in 1989 out of his basement. He spent the next 11 years trying to produce the perfect rose. His disease resistant stock came from sprinkling ground up leaves with the black spot disease on his stock plants. If a plant contacted the disease, it was out, and the rest became his stock. He presented his perfect rose to the All American Rose Selection Committee in 1997. The Knock-Out- Rose was presented to the public in 2000. The rest is history!

Zones: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11

Flowers: During the period from spring to fall they will bloom at four different times.

They come in colors of red, pink, white and yellow. The variety “Sunny” is the only one that has a fragrance.

Size: Up to 7 feet tall and 4 feet wide.

Light: 4-8 hours of sunlight per day. The more sun they get, the more blooms they will have.

Soil: Well-drained, loamy soil.

Plant: Space 20-30 inches apart. Plant in the evening or on an overcast day so as to not stress the plant. Planting in the full sun can inhibit growth. The best time to plant them is in late April. Knock –Out- Roses will grow well in containers just not quite as big.

How to Plant: If your soil needs amending, add green-sand fertilizer or well-aged compost. If the compost is not aged it will take the nitrogen out of your soil to use in breaking down the compost. Dig your hole 2 feet deeper x 2 feet wider than your root ball. Fill the hole with your dirt until the root ball will sit just above the ground level in zones 9 or above. The rest of the zones should be just below the ground level. Gently tap the soil down as to not leave air pockets. Water well.

Care: Water well 2-3 times a week for the first several months keeping it moist but not wet until it is well established. After it is established water when the soil is dry more than an inch down. They are drought tolerant after the first year. Water from below the plant. Watering above the plant will leave the leaves wet and set them up for a fungal disease.

Fertilize only after the first month or two. Once established feed it several times during the growing season with 10-10-10 fertilizer. Give each bush ½ – 1 cup of fertilizer sprinkled around the plant.

Mulch not only improves the aesthetic appearance but supplies the nutrients, keeps moisture in and weeds down.

Deadheading should not be needed as they are self-cleaning of old blooms. But deadheading will encourage new blooms. You should have blooms for up to 9 months.

Pruning is very important to

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