Category: Roses

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Do You Dead-Head Encore Roses?

Gotta love those knock-outs!!! by perennialpal

TheGardenLady received this question from John.

Are you supposed to cut spent flowers on Encore Roses? Some say you are and others say don’t. Which is correct?

Cutting spent flowers is referred to as dead heading. Dead heading is like a minor form of pruning. People do it to most perennial flowers so that the plants look neater and it forces more flowering.

However, that being said, the Knock Out Roses are bred for easy maintenance and one of the things they have eliminated is making it necessary to deadhead. On their website it says “All seven members in The Knock Out® Family of Roses are self-cleaning so there is no need to deadhead.”

So though it is not necessary to deadhead spent roses from my Knock Out Roses, TheGardenLady will cut off the remains of the stem end of the roses that have died, but only for aesthetic reasons.

If you’d like to read a previous post on the issue of dead-heading Knock Out Roses, check this post out.

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Soil for Knockout Roses

TheGardenLady received this question from Pat:

I am getting ready to plant Knockout Roses in my garden in northern South Carolina, and wonder how to best prepare the soil? We have very dense red clay mixed with some sand. Any recommendations on how to get these roses off to their best start in this type of soil?

Sorry it took so long to get back to you with a response, but TheGardenLady went right to one the sources of KnockOut Roses (see here) to get you the answer. I added a link to Permatill, a product mentioned in this column.

Here is the advice from a spokesperson for Novalis Plants that Work:

Continue reading “Soil for Knockout Roses”

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Oklahoma Rose

 

TheGardenLady received this question from Leah:

Isnt the Oklahoma rose the state flower for oklahoma?

According to all the websites on Oklahoma, in 2004 the Oklahoma Rose became the state flower. Oklahoma Rose is Rosa Odorata, a hybrid tea rose. This is a very fragrant rose developed at Oklahoma State University.

Oklahoma also has a state floral emblem – Mistletoe- Phoradendron serotinum.  This became the state floral emblem in 1893, 14 years before Oklahoma became a state. See here and here.

And Oklahoma has a state wildflower – the Indian Blanket Gaillardia pulchella.  See here and here.  

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Winter Care of Knock-Out Roses

TheGardenLady received this question from Julia.

How do I prepare my KNOCK-OUT Roses for winter?

KNOCK-OUT Roses were bred to be almost maintenance free. So, if you live in zone 5 or a warmer climate, winter maintenance is minimal.

The KNOCK-OUT rose site says that “Knock-Out Roses were bred with greater cold weather tolerance to relieve the northern gardener of the need to apply and remove winter protection materials and the necessity to replace winter killed plants when protection failed.”

That being said, mulch the roses with leaves or hard wood AFTER the first hard frost – you want the ground to be frozen solid.*   If you want, you can burlap the rose plant. Burlaping will also prevent the deer from eating the rose bushes.  If the roses are in pots, the pots should either be buried in the ground or brought into the garage. The pot does not give adequate protection to the roots during the cold, freezing winter.

Continue reading “Winter Care of Knock-Out Roses”

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What Flowering Plant is Good to Grow in a Dorm Room?

                                                                  

TheGardenLady received this question from Scott –

I want to grow some plants in my dorm this coming fall.  I have a spider plant currently in a small pot. I’m looking for something unique that hopefully flowers and smells.  My room will be facing due east.  It will get direct sunlight when the sun is about 30 degrees from the horizon to straight up.  Hopefully I’ll get a planter box for my window sill.  I’m a semi-experienced gardener and feel confident about keeping things alive.

Your confidence and experience will do you well in your growing plants in your dorm room. Eastern exposure is good for many indoor plants, even some flowering plants.
 
Continue reading “What Flowering Plant is Good to Grow in a Dorm Room?”

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Raising Roses

                                                                                 

TheGardenLady received this question from P. S:

A friend is watering roses (I’m sorry, but I don’t know the variety) several
times a week, for several hours at a time, with the hose on full blast, so that
a swamp forms around the rose bushes.  The soil is heavy adobe clay, and we have been having mostly moderate summer weather, temperatures in the eighties.  Is this watering necessary or even helpful for the roses?  Please let me know if any further information is needed.  Thanks for your help.

Most rose plants are demanding plants. Roses are high water use plants. They do like and need good watering but not too much water. Too much water can stress any plant. Keep roses too dry and they fail to thrive; if they are too wet they may succumb to root damage or disease. Keeping soils too wet will also deprive a plant’s roots of needed oxygen.

Continue reading “Raising Roses”