Double Knock Out® Rose

Nonstop Explosion of Blooms for 9 Months! Rarely does a plant take the gardening world by storm as strongly the Knock Out Rose. In fact, it's the American Rose Society's 'All-America Rose Selection' winner. And just when growing roses couldn't get any easier, the DOUBLE Knock Out Rose was bred... which offers DOUBLE the blooms and DOUBLE the petals per flower, all with the same disease resistance as the original. You get 9 months of nonstop blooms, from spring to fall... all without deadheading, spraying, or any maintenance! • a blanket of double flowers all season long • no maintenance- no spraying or dead-heading! • resists black spot and powdery mildew Tons of Blooms with Zero Work If you've tried growing other roses, like hybrid teas, you know how much work it takes to keep them healthy and blooming. If you don't have time to prune, the blooms look bad. If you don't have time to spray, they get black spot or powdery mildew. You don't have these problems with the new Double Knock Out Rose... you'll spend more time enjoying them than taking care of them. Appearance These are classified as a shrub roses, which means they grow fuller, in a more rounded shape... unlike hybrid teas or climbers. The shape is proportionate, with equal height and width. Flowers bloom cherry-red, and then age to a lighter shade. Continuous Blooms Last Almost All Year! Unlike re-blooming or repeat blooming plants, which have separate bloom times at different times of the year, the Double Knock Out Rose is a continuous bloomer. This means you'll see a non-stop floral display... not sporadic color. Specimen Plant One Double Knock Out Rose shrub, strategically placed as a focal point in your garden or landscape, will draw attention and make a colorful statement. Plant in groups of 3 or 5 for a more dramatic effect. By planting smaller flowering plants (or foliage plants) around or in front of your Double Knock Out Roses, you can create a tiered landscape design that enlivens a bare spot in your yard. Plant in a Row for a Flowering Fence You don't need chain-link or wooden fencing for an attractive property lining... you can plant Double Knock Out Roses along both sides of your yard to create a stunning flowering fence. This living fence will add definition to your property lines while framing your yard to enhance your landscape design. Cottage Garden Roses are the quintessential cottage-garden plant, and Double Knock Outs really deliver. Instead of having a formal garden that has structure and definition; design a cottage garden with a looser, more casual look to soften the lines of your yard. Cutting Garden Although Double Knock Out Roses aren't fragrant like other types of roses, their double blossoms add a touch of beauty to any room in your home. On the plus side, for people with allergies who love roses, but who can't enjoy fragrant flowers in their homes, Double Knock Outs are the perfect substitute. Even Looks Great as a Container Plant If you want to enjoy Double Knock Out Roses on your sunny deck or patio, you can easily grow these shrubs in a container. Choose a heavier-weight wooden, terracotta or ceramic pot instead of plastic to keep the mature shrubs upright in windy weather. At the corners of your deck or patio, arrange three containers – one at the tip of the corner and the other two pots staggered in front in a triangular formation. This will add depth to the design and you'll enjoy many more colorful flowers than if you use a single pot. One of the few Drought-Tolerant Roses Although drought-tolerant does not mean drought-loving, Double Knock Outs can withstand short periods of drought without suffering. However, like most plants, we recommend watering them during a drought if you can. Heat-Tolerant Although Double Knock Out Roses are cold-hardy to Zone 5, they show remarkable tolerance to the heat in warmer zones. During the hot summers, most roses experience a lag in blooming... but Double Knock Outs are unfazed. Humidity If you live in the humid South, you know how challenging it is to grow healthy roses in that climate. Many Southern gardeners have claimed Double Knock Out Roses as their favorite garden plant because of how these shrubs prosper in the humidity. Pest Resistant If you consider the common insect pests of roses, aphids probably come to mind first. Although Double Knock Out Roses are not immune from these pests, they are more resistant than other types of roses. No need to spray chemicals! One of the most Diseases-Resistant Roses Black spot and powdery mildew, which are fungal diseases of plants, plague most roses. Double Knock Out Roses have proven resistance to these problems. When to Plant Double Knock Out Roses Most roses like to be planted in fall or spring... but Double Knock Out Roses are so resilient that you can plant them any time of the year. How to Plant Care in planting Double Knock Outs will make the difference in a shrub that simply survives or thrives. Your roses will arrive healthy, with a well-developed root system. Follow these planting guidelines to get your shrubs off to a good start in your garden: Selecting the Site Double Knock Out Roses thrive in USDA plant hardiness zones 5 through 9. (If you're planting your shrubs in containers, this places their roots above ground level where they will not be insulated by the surrounding soil, so they'll overwinter in their pots to Zone 6.) A full-sun location (at least 6, but preferably 8 hours of sun each day) promotes fuller foliage growth and more flowers. Double Knock Out Roses aren't too fussy about the type of soil they grow in, but they do need a well-draining site. If the roots sit in soggy soil, they may rot. Before excavating planting holes, have a locate service mark the ground above any underground utility lines so you don't sever them when you dig. Preparing the Site Loosen the soil on-site by digging or tilling to a depth of 6 inches. Spread an organic amendment...we recommend the Brighter Blooms Organic Planting Mix, in a 2-inch layer over the entire planting area and work it into the loosened soil. Planting Hole Depth and Width Dig a planting hole wider than it is deep, using the root ball of your Double Knock Out Roses as a guide. The hole should be only as deep as the root ball but several times as wide. Gently remove your plant from its container and place it in the planting hole, checking its depth to make sure it won't be planted deeper in the ground than it was in its container. Backfill the hole with the soil you removed when digging without adding potting mix, fertilizer or any soil amendments to the planting hole. Instead, give your roses a head start by adding an organic bio-stimulant, like the Brighter Blooms Root Rocket. Add one per plant. Very lightly firm the soil around the shrub. Mulching Add 2 to 3 inches of mulch, such as chopped leaves, pine needles, shredded pine bark, hardwood chips or nuggets around your plants to the width of the hole you dug. This will help conserve moisture and keep the weeds at a minimum. Pull the mulch away from the base of your shrub. Watering Give your newly planted Double Knock Out Rose bush a deep, thorough soaking. Infrequent, deep watering is better than frequent, shallow sprinklings. Always water at the base of the plant to keep its leaves dry. In the absence of sufficient rainfall (1 inch per week), hand-watering at the base of each plant or drip irrigation, such as soaker hoses, is optimal for Double Knock Out Roses. Spacing Roses are healthier when there's good air circulation around each plant. Space plants 4 feet away from other plants, walls, and fences. Container Plants Fill pots with a commercial soilless potting mix instead of garden soil. Container roses will dry out more quickly than in-ground plants. Water potted plants until the water flows freely from the drainage hole, and then water again (if there's no rain) when the soil begins to dry. Fertilizer We recommend using organic fertilizers when your roses are young. Specifically, the Brighter Blooms Organic Planting Mix is an excellent soil amendment, giving your plant healthy nutrients. If you really want to give your rose bushes a head start, include a pack of our Root Rocket bio-stimulant. It is packed with mycorrhizal fungi and beneficial bacteria that would really stimulate the root growth! Pruning and Shaping Deadheading is a type of pruning that removes spent blossoms so the new growth can produce more flowers. It is a time-intensive task that's necessary to maintain many types of roses. But Double Knock Out Roses continue to produce new flowers without needing to be deadheaded. You can leave your shrubs unpruned throughout their growing season, and they'll continue blooming. However, a few snips here and there during the dormant season will help keep them looking neat and maximize their flowering potential. Why Prune? • Double Knock Out Roses naturally grow 3 to 4 feet tall, but if they're never pruned they may grow slightly taller and begin to lose their tidy look. • As some branches grow, they may begin to grow inward or cross other canes, instead of growing outward, which is healthier and aesthetically more desirable. • Shrubs may grow thickly, reducing air circulation around the canes and increasing susceptibility to disease. When to Prune We'll ship your plants perfectly pruned and shaped, so you won't have to do any trimming until the second or third year after planting. As the buds begin to break their dormancy, usually in February or March, they'll start to swell before the new growth appears. When you notice this, it's the perfect time to do any pruning. Where to Prune Find a bud that faces outward a small red sprout and makes a 45-degree cut one-half inch above the bud, with your cut slanting outward in the same direction and angle as the bud. How to Prune • Remove any branches that cross other branches, or grow inward towards the center • Remove one-third of the older canes each year. • If you want to reduce the height of your shrubs, prune all the canes to 24 inches. Spraying Because of Double Knock Out Rose's pest- and disease-resistance, you may never have to spray your plants. But if you see aphids or other insect pests in large numbers on your plants, spray insecticidal soap as an organic pesticide, following label directions. If a fungal problem presents itself, such as black spot or downy mildew, use a fungicide labeled for use on roses. Winter Care When your Double Knock Out Roses drop their leaves in autumn, rake and remove all the fallen leaves, flowers and twigs. This prevents any unnecessary issues from occurring. Replace the old mulch with fresh mulch. How to Cut Double Knock Out Roses for Floral Arrangements • Take a bucket of warm water with you. • Select flowers that have just started to open; tight buds may not open completely and fully opened blooms won't last as long. • Cut the stems with a sharp knife at a 45-degree angle, and immediately plunge them into the water. How to Extend the Vase Life of Cut Roses • Strip the bottoms of stems to remove leaves that are in the water to keep the water cleaner. • Change the water daily to keep it fresh. • Dissolve a package of floral preservative into the water in your vase or make a homemade version: Stir 1 pint of a lemon-line soda (non-diet) into 1 pint of water. Add ½ teaspoon of household bleach and mix thoroughly. Use this solution instead of water when you fill your vase. • Store your cut roses away from bowls of fruit, because the ethylene gas that ripening fruit produces will cause the flowers to age more quickly. Although a bowl of red apples beside a vase filled with red roses may dress up your kitchen table, the apples will cause the roses to droop and drop their petals prematurely.