DOUBLE PINK KNOCKOUT ROSES FOR BEGINNERS

The Green Man has always encouraged clients to use roses in their landscaping. However, many beginners are hesitant because they believe roses are a fussy, high-maintenance, and problematic plants. Some do require time and patience as well as expertise. But the Green Man feels clients really ought not to deprive themselves of the aesthetic charms of the rose.

The solution is simply to begin, and the Double Pink Knockout roseis the starting point.

The Green Man begins novice rose growers with the PINK because the color stays true and does not tend to run into dreaded magenta as the flower matures. Go with PINK only! The DOUBLE Pink Knockout is a charming addition to traditional homes such as Colonial, Cape, or Victorian. Surprisingly, the SINGLE Pink Knockout works well with contempoarsry architecture. A minimalist Philip Johnson-style glass-box house could be accented with them successfully.
















Additional advantages of the Pink Knockout rose are that it resists black spot and other rose afflictions, retains its compact size well, and blooms its head off from Spring into late November.

To sum up, The Green Man urges clients to "do roses." Simply begin where it makes sense, and as clients becomes more comfortable, they find themselves confidently moving on to more demanding varieties.















Catmint 'Joanna Reed'

The PINK Knockout rose craves companions, and the de rigueur choice is the traditional rose companion, CATMINT. Use the lower-growing 'Walker's Low,' or the Green Man's richest color favorite 'Joanna Reed' BETWEEN the rose plants and the taller 'Six Hills Giant' BEHIND the rose plants, and give this latter catmint room. Siberian catmint is readily available, too.



Catmint 'Six Hills Giant'














Catmints are prolific and can be propatgated easily. Hence, invest more in the roses not the catmints.

Finally, The Green Man suggests creating your compositions in triads of color and to make the colors not fight and to "pop," add hefty amounts of white.

Hence, for PINK Knockout roses and catmints, tuck in a few coreopsis 'Moonbeam' directly between the roses and the catmints in an irregular manner.



Coreopsis 'Moonbeam'












Shasta daisy 'Christine Hagemann'

Just a touch of pale yellow. Now fill in with bright white shasta daisies. The always-reliable 'Becky' works well although The Green Man is enamored of 'Christine Hagemann' and prefers its subtlety for this composition.














Siberian catmint

In addition, plant a drift of Echinacea 'Fragrant Angel' for fall color and variety plus fragrance. Avoid 'White Swan.' It's over.

















THE DOUBLE PINK KNOCKOUT ROSE

Growing Zones: 4-9
Height: 3-4 ft.
Width: 2-3 ft.
Sunlight: Full Sun
Blooms: Spring-Fall
Spacing: 3 ft.
Shipping: Immediate Shipping!
Botanical: Rosa ‘Radtkopink' PPAF
• 18-25 petals per bloom, classic form
• Low maintenance (no spraying, dead-heading)
• Resistance to blackspot, mildew and other diseases Rose.

"The Double Pink Knockout Rose has all of the same wonderful features of the original, except this plant offers hot pink blooms throughout the summer months and gives way to deep purple foliage as the weather cools.

As with other Double Knockout plants, this shrub blooms almost year round, making it an excellent staple for landscaping."