How to Care for Knockout Roses in the Winter

Knockout Roses(Roseceae Rosa) is one of the easiest roses to grow. This shade tolerant, cold hardy to zone 5 and disease resistant rose is a gardeners dream.

Things You'll Need

• Knockout Rose
• Clippers
• Mulch

Instructions

1. When planted in early spring the Knockout Rose will give you an entire summer of wonderful blooms with a soft tea rose smell. They grow to a height of about three feet and the width of about three feet which makes a great hedge.

2. They are shade tolerant and resistant to black spot, mildew and rust. This makes them ideal for coastal regions. They require very little care.

3. In zone 8 they require no special winter care. In the colder zones mulch is recommended around the bush but don't mulch until the ground has frozen. If you mulch before the ground has frozen it could create enough heat for the plant to start putting out new growth. This could do damage to the plant when the weather freezes.

4. In late winter or early spring prune the rose plant back. A good height is from twelve to fourteen inches above the ground. The rose will bloom on the new growth. Do not fertilize in winter.

Tips & Warnings

• Cut blooms for bouquets in your home.

• Requires small amount of dead heading (pinching the dead blooms off the bush) in the summer.

Resources

• Link Text liquid compost