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Tips for Taking Care of Knockout Roses

Gagan Dhillon
A bush of knockout roses needs minimum care, but one must know the exact knockout roses care routine to make them last the season on full bloom. Read on to know more about caring for these beautiful flowers.
You love the roses - so do I. I wish
The sky would rain down roses, as they rain
From off the shaken bush. Why will it not?
Then all the valley would be pink and white
And soft to tread on. They would fall as light
As feathers, smelling sweet; and it would be
Like sleeping and like waking, all at once! ― George Eliot
If only all of us could write so well, perhaps we could, in some way, forge the fragrance of the roses in our writings. Leaving that to the talented, let us just make these magnificent flowers bloom with all their might by knowing all that we can about knockout roses.
Knockout roses are a cultivar developed by botanist William Radler. What make these roses so unique is that they are more or less disease resistant, and are pretty easy to care for. This shrub grows to the height of 30-37 inches and 30 inches wide.
The flowers bloom in a cluster. These flowers grow superbly in humid weather. This shrub needs to be planted in a semi-sunny area and the soil needs to be well drained.
These roses are resistant to black spot disease and need protection only from a few insects, like aphids, leaf hoppers, spider mites, and rose midges.

Planting and Caring
Caring for knockout roses is relatively easy, as they need a low upkeep. When growing roses, one should dig a 6.5-7 inch hole and place the sapling inside, along with some fertilizer. The area where the shrub is planted must get direct sunlight for at least some time during the day.
The soil should be loamy, and the flowerbeds should be well drained to avoid stagnant water. When watering the plants, avoid watering the top of the shrub. It is best to water just the base of the plant for proper care. Don't forget to mulch the flowerbeds to avoid soil erosion and water evaporation.
Many types of mulch are available in the market, so choose the one that is most appropriate for rose plants. This will also prevent the soil from getting splattered onto the roses when it rains. During winter, it is advised not to mulch the soil till the ground has frozen.

Pruning
As far as pruning knockout roses is concerned, do so during the spring to ensure that it grows at a faster rate. The faded blooms should be removed, though many don't recommend dead heading. One of the best tips to promote healthy growth is to remove the older canes to promote the growth of the plant.
To ensure the desired flower production, prune the plant to ⅓rd of its height. The plant should be pruned during late winter or early spring. Make sure that the roses don't dry out, so water the plants regularly. It is also best to fertilize the plant every season.
These flowers bloom every 6 to 7 weeks, so regularly remove the dead canes and  leaves. Best thing about these rose bushes is they can be grown as a hedge or even as pot plants. Now that you know how to take care of these roses, make your garden blossom and give the honeybees a treat!
Roland A. Browne was right when he said,
"I don't know whether nice people tend to grow roses or growing roses makes people nice."