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These Roses are Knock Outs!

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Knockout Closeup 
Photo Credit: Gerald L. Klingaman
The original Knock Out® rose has beautiful cherry red blooms.
It seems roses are back! True, they never completely disappeared, but roses did go through a temporary setback with everyday gardeners – the plants were just too much work. But that all changed with the Knock Out® rose, perhaps the hottest thing to ever hit the rose world!

The original Knock Out is a shrub rose growing about 3 feet wide and tall. It produces clusters of single, 3-inch-diameter, cherry red flowers at the tips of branches that keep on blooming all summer long! In fact, some say it’s one of the longest-blooming roses on the market. While the blooms aren’t well-suited for cutflowers, they look great in a sunny spot in the garden and give off a pretty, light tea rose fragrance. Come fall, the foliage turns a deep purple, adding depth and interest to your autumn garden.

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Knockout by Pond 
Photo Credit: Gerald L. Klingaman
Knock Out® roses are wonderfully disease-resistant, cold-hardy shrubs that keep on blooming all season long.
There are just so many great things to love about this rose! Not only is it a fantastically continuous bloomer, you don’t have to waste time removing spent blooms to encourage new flowers – it’s pretty much a “self-cleaner.” And when it comes to disease resistance, this beauty’s a hands-down winner. In fact, Knock Out was bred specifically to be a cold-hardy rose resistant to a variety of maladies, especially black spot. What’s more, this beauty is drought-tolerant once established!

Like most roses, Knock Out grows best in full sun or very light shade in a fertile, well-drained soil. And this plant works almost anywhere in the country – it’s hardy from USDA hardiness zones 4-10!

Tips
  • Roses are heavy feeders. Whether you’re an organic gardener or use conventional fertilizers, keep this in mind when developing a fertilization regime.
Facts
  • In 1988, rose breeder William Radler crossed seedlings of ‘Carefree Beauty’ and ‘Razzle Dazzle’ (both hardy roses with good disease resistance) to create the original Knock Out® rose (Rosa ‘Radrazz’). In 1992, The Conard-Pyle Co./Star® Roses began testing the plant. In 2000, the shrub won the prestigious All-America Rose Selections award and hit the market. Knock Out quickly became the fastest-selling new rose in history, with 250,000 sold the first year!
  • Roses typically have two names: the common names they’re sold by and the botanical names that specifically identify each horticulturally. Knock Out® rose is also known as Rosa ‘Radrazz’, Pink Knock Out® is R. ‘Radcon’, Blushing Knock Out® is R. ‘Radyod’, Double Knock Out® is R. ‘Radtko’, Pink Double Knock Out® is R. ‘Radtkopink’, Rainbow Knock Out® is R. ‘Radcor’ and Sunny Knock Out® is R. ‘Radsunny’.
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