The last rose of summer

This article is lovingly dedicated to the memory of my sister, Linda Rose Coogle Stephens.  March 23, 1943 – October 13, 2017

My last rose of summer forgot to quit blooming.  It thinks it’s still June.  I’m not really complaining, I love all flowers, all the time.  It is a ‘Knock – Out’ rose, a variety that burst on the scene in 2000 and took the gardening world by storm. These sturdy, hardy roses, are as advertised  (carefree) and make growing roses possible for even the most casual gardener.  They thrive with no chemicals and little maintenance but do benefit from regular pruning and watering.  Other than that, as long as you provide the basic requirements for rose growing, they will need little other maintenance.

All roses, including the Knockouts, need at least six hours of sun for optimum bloom.  They need rich, well drained soil, a layer of mulch, regular watering and pruning.  And even the ‘Knockouts” like to an early summer feeding of organic fertilizer.

When I first began growing these, the only color available was the bright pink, but now you can also get them in a lovely pale yellow color and I have read about (but not tried) a new variety called “White Out.”  This is supposed to have a “blizzard of blooms” from spring until frost and grow only 3 – 4 feet tall.  I can’t wait to try this!

The “carefree” advertisement may need adjusting in the future.  There is a virus that can attack and kill even the ‘Knockout.’  It is called ‘Rose rosette’ and results in vermillion stems and buds that open into deformed blossoms and will eventually kill the plant.  Note:  The normal habit of the plant is to produce reddish green new growth so don’t get this confused with the true garish bright red caused by the virus.  Right now there’s not much you can do about it except dig up and destroy any effected plants.

There are some drawbacks to growing ‘Knockouts’ to the exclusion of other kinds of roses.  They have little scent and are a little hard to work with as a cut flower.  Admittedly, the more refined tea or bush roses produce blossoms that are more sweetly scented and are, in truth, much more beautiful.  You have to pay the price, though, not only because they require chemical assistance through fertilizers and pesticides, but also because they are, literally, more pricey.

But roses, no matter what kind, are among the most stunningly beautiful flowers in the garden.  Whether they tempt you with a delicate scent and softly colored petals or “knock you out” with their bold blossoms robust growth, roses belong in every sunny garden.