Knockout Rose
From PlantWiki
| Knockout Rose |
|---|
 Knockout Rose in Bloom |
| Species |
| Rosa |
History
Knockout roses were introduced in 2000 and in the first year won the All-American Rose Award. Five years later the lineup had expanded from the original single red to include a double form in red and pink.
Compact and mounded, with a bushy form, the Knockout Rose Bush have a height and spread of 3 - 4’. They have dark green foliage with maroon undersides. Tight clusters have a continuous bloom cycle every 5 weeks spring, summer and throughout the fall in growing zones 4 – 9.
Fall foliage turns purple, dark wine and maroon with orange-red rose hips developing late in the season which the birds are attracted to.
The color of the blooms on the double red has been described as a “cherry” red. The Double Pink Knockout Rose is a true “bubblegum” pink. As the blossoms age, they fade into a multitude of pink shades. The 2 ½” blooms, with 18 – 25 petals each, have a light fragrance.
They are self-cleaning which means no pruning.
Drought tolerant and the most resistant of blackspot of any other rose on the market. When the breeder, William Radler, was testing the original Double Knockout Rose in the 80’s for disease resistance, he actually overhead watered, guaranteed to cause disease in other roses, as well as experimented with pouring a slurry of ground diseased rose foliage over the test plants to see how they would respond, with results that have given Knockout Rose the title of “most disease resistant rose”.
They are rapidly gaining popularity across America and are being used not only by home gardeners, but also commercial venues and public landscapes and municipalities.