Knock out roses - help needed

I ordered 6 knock out roses from home depot that will be arriving soon. I've never grown roses before but read they are no fuss. How should I prepare the area that I will be planting them in? What is the proper time for planting them in Western NY? About how far apart should I plant them for a hedge look? Should I mulch them and if yes, with what? Thanks for any help.

I have planted many roses and I usually read the directions that comes with the roses. Also I do a lot of googles searches and I am always getting
new and different ideas, sometimes I even see actual videos on the article . Cytf

Thank you, I will google. I also read somewhere around here that bananas are a good treat for any type of roses. I'll give that a try also. Susie

Bananas are, indeed, a good treat for roses. So are Epsom salts and bone meal. Please, make sure when you water your roses, you do it from below. They don't like wet leaves.

Which ones did you order?

I have also read that Knockout roses to not like as much water as other roses.

Roses LOVE manure, you put in hole and mix in before putting the rose in

Great website for growing roses
http://www.rose-gardening-made-easy.com/planting-roses.html

My roses have arrived. I got 2 each of the red, yellow and pink. They are still sound asleep. No leaves or anything. I don't dare plant them yet as we are in for freezing ran and 30 degree weather for the next couple of days. Should I wait until all danger of frost has passed? I've never heard of the epsom salts for roses or the bone meal. Thats very interesting.

From that website I posted
When to plant....
It is important that ALL danger of frost is gone and the soil is workable and not frozen.

I just read that website. Very good information there. I have a really good spot for them. Its a 30 foot stretch that comes up the driveway. I planned to plant them 5 feet apart. It gets sun all day and is somewhat acidic soil. I planned on planting the colors as this: red, yellow, pink, pink, yellow, and red. The other side of the drive has tall shrubs with several trees behind them at a distance that should work good as wind break. Thanks for posting that link.

Yeah I love that site

Sounds like you have a great plan, can't wait to see all in bloom!!!

I'm as nervous as a new mother! What if the other plants are mean to them? What if they don't bloom...lol.

Give the other plants your sternest 'Mom' face and tell them to leave the newbies alone!

Please post pics of them when they bloom.

Update: My roses started growing in the boxes they were shipped in. They went from completely dormant to 4 inches of growth in 5 days. So I decided to go ahead and plant them. I dug the hole twice as deep as needed and then filled it in with potting mix forming a cone. After soaking them for about an hour I plucked them in. I also worked in bone meal and blood meal at the surface but not too close to the roses themselves. Next I mulch them pretty thick with hay. Of course then next several days we had 30 degree nights so I covered them and then got up early to under cover them in the morning. Its been about 8 days and they are growing like crazy. I mean, I think you could watch them grow. There is probably 6 to 8 inches of new growth since I planted them. I'm watching the weather daily, and will cover as necessary but so far so good. I've decided to plant white alyssum in front and behind them, as well as white geraniums as I've read they chase the dreaded Japanese beetle away..we have them here.

I had 80 regular roses at one time and the brand started with J----. I can not remember right now . Senior moment before my coffee. I had to get rid of them because they required a lot of care. Somehow there were aphids all summer long.

I replaced them with knockout roses and these are disease resistant and had not noticed aphids. I prune them in the fall and very early spring and fertilize them with 10-10-10.

I will take pictures when i get back from vacation.

I have sedum in front of it and I can not remember the variety either .
Happy gardening.

Belle



This message was edited May 7, 2013 5:00 AM

I have 7 knock out roses and I don't think you can do anything wrong with them. I have pruned them to six inches, not pruned them, fertilized them, not fertilized them, watered them, not watered them, etc. They are resilient and quick growing (mine get around 4 foot tall every year, after a hard prune down to 12 inches). You will enjoy them until you want to move them or get rid of them for something else!

Great choice! Some people pooh-pooh the Knockouts because of the lack of fragrance. Well, I don't think they can be beat for ease of care and big floral displays. This is my Double Pink Knockout last year. It's on the way to looking even more spectacular this year. The red is the same way.

Cville, all I can say is WOW! I'm jealous...I can only hope and pray that mine grow up to look like that. They are doing very well so far. I have to keep them (and everything else) covered for the next 3 nights as we might can a bit of a frost. I'm also very happy to say that the Astilbe I planted in the shady area at the end of the rose bed is growing like crazy.

Thank you. I think they will do well for you. They are an easy-care rose. We too are threatened with a frost tonight. Sheesh. If we have one it will be a record breaking late frost. I hope yours, mine and everyone else's plants make it okay.

We get cold weather in the 20's at times and our knockout comes back pretty every year. Belle

My Knock Out Roses are beginning to bloom :)

Great! You're off to a good start.

can you tell me why my roses bush isnt blooming it was plant last year it is very pretty green but no flowers

Our knock out roses get pruned and fertilized in the fall and fertilized in spring. The blooms are over this year.Try giving it miracle grow. Do you see buds?

All 6 of my knockout rose bushes made it through the winter...our temps were -40 to -45 many times throughout January & Feb. I didn't do anything to protect them. I think the snow we got helped to insulate them. Anyway, they are thriving and almost ready to bloom. I'm so happy.

Great job! Pics?