Despite their great beauty, when it comes to growing roses, they have a reputation for being difficult plants to grow, needing lots of skilled-care, subject to pests and diseases and choosy with soil and climate. If that is how you feel, then the Sunny Knockout Rose will change your mind. This plant is as easy to grow as any plant can be. It requires only the most basic care, it is hardy across a whole range of climates and soils, and it will reward you with three seasons of stunning yellow and cream blooms that will light up your garden and have your friends congratulating you on your ‘green thumb’.

You can plant this rose all over your garden, among shrubs or flowers, in a group or as a row along a border. Use it wherever you want three seasons of fabulous, trouble-free color. This vigorous plant will grow to its full height of around three feet in just a few weeks in spring, and then continue to bloom until frost.

Growing Sunny Knockout Roses

Most roses are subject to a long list of problems. They start off well in the spring, but rapidly the leaves begin to turn black and fall off (black spot), or become covered in white powder (mildew) or black blisters (rust). Not the Sunny Knockout Rose – it knocks those diseases right out with its amazing resistance which is the result of years of careful breeding. Like other roses it may attract a few insect pests, but it is so hardy and vigorous that you will not even notice them. They will be ignored by your Sunny Knockout Rose as it blooms away all summer.

Size and Appearance

The Sunny Knockout Rose forms a bush 3 to 4 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet across, or even more in milder areas. It has healthy, glossy leaves right to the ground, and the large, golden flowers float over the foliage all spring, summer and fall. The base has numerous woody twigs which store the strength needed to throw up many strong new sprouts in spring as the weather begins to warm. The flowers are produced continuously and unlike other roses, when they die they just fall off, leaving the plant constantly fresh and clean.

Hardiness

The Sunny Knockout Rose is hardy in zones 4 to 11, so it will grow in all but the coldest states, as well as in the hottest areas. In zone 4 it will survive best if just before the first snow-fall you take a bucket, cut out the bottom, put it over your plant and fill it firmly with dry peat moss. Remove it when the snow has gone and your Knockout Rose will be alive, happy and ready to go.

Planting Location

Your Sunny Knockout Rose will do best is a sunny location and should not become completely dry. It will easily handle regular summer conditions, but not drought. It will grow well in all kinds of soils, including heavy clays. Because the Sunny Knockout Rose grows so strongly all the time, it will benefit from plenty of organic material, like compost or rotted manure, dug into the ground where you are planting it. You need to feed that vigorous growth with rose food, which should be added when planting, and again each spring and in mid-summer.

Care and Maintenance

Each spring, before the new growth starts, cut back the stems to 12 inches above the ground. Cut out any weak or old stems. Not only does this encourage the strong growth that will produce all those flowers, but it protects against diseases and pests.

History and Origins of the Sunny Knockout Rose

The original Knockout Rose took the gardening world by storm when it was introduced by rose breeder Will Radler. He had worked for years to make a rose that was disease-resistant and so hardy it would grow in all climate zones. It won the coveted All-America Rose Selections prize in 2000. This prize is not just awarded on looks, but on the results of growing the rose in gardens all across the country – so it has to be good. Literally millions of plants of this rose were sold across America every year – more than any other rose – and millions of gardeners can’t be wrong.

The first Knockout was a pink rose with a small number of petals, but Will continued working and soon developed other colors, with the Sunny Knockout Rose being the result of that work. This plant has yellow flowers that slowly change to a pale cream as they age. In colder weather the yellow will stay longer, but the effect is to create a bush with a variety of colors and shades – like several different varieties all in one.

Buying Sunny Knockout Roses at The Tree Center

The Sunny Knockout Rose is such a special plant that it is protected by patent, so it must be produced directly from plants absolutely known to be right. Ours are grown the correct way, from grafts of these special roses, that way every tree is identical to the original. However, these take longer to produce, so avoid other cheaper roses that will only be a disappointment. If it isn’t labelled as ‘Knockout’ then it isn’t the amazing Sunny Knockout Rose.

The Sunny Knockout Rose has taken the gardening world by storm. Although we are constantly renewing our stock so our customers always get fresh, healthy plants, supplies of this fabulous plant may be limited. To avoid disappointment order now, and make sure to check out other stunning varieties from this series, like the Double Pink Knockout Rose and the Red Knockout Rose.