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To Prune or Not to Prune... That is the Question!
When deciding which rose is the right choice for you, it’s best to compare the two side by side. The traditional rose has flowers on individual stems. Those stems are long and great for cut flowers but they do not rebloom without proper pruning. To properly prune your traditional roses, you should maintain a regular pruning schedule. This process needs to be done during the growing season to promote new blooms and to remove some of the branches to open up the middle of the plant for stronger air circulation, which will help to control disease. You will want to repeat the pruning process again in January to a height of 18-24 inches tall.
Knockout roses start blooming in the spring and will continue to do so until the first frost. They will have several flowers on one stem. They are self cleaning, meaning no pruning is necessary to keep them alive and healthy. Traditional roses have a more upright growth pattern and generally are planted alone in the landscape. Knockout roses have a rounded, shrub-like growth habit and can be a great accent, a colorful hedge, or they can be combined with a array of other plant varieties. The traditional roses need winter protection whereas the knockouts are a cold hearty breed up through zone five. However, both the traditional and the knockout will need at least four to six hours of direct sunlight a day and can handle full sun.
Critters that Lurk
Aphids and black spot are common problems affecting traditional roses, along with other fungal diseases like powdery mildew. These conditions will need to be treated on a regular basis to prevent outbreaks. The knockouts were bred to be disease and pest resistant. That being said, it is always good practice to routinely check your roses (both traditional and knockouts) to ensure that no problems appear on your plants.
Color and Fragrance
Traditional roses come in a wide variety of shades and colors, with each color emitting it’s own signature fragrance. A knockout rose comes in two varieties: single knockouts and double knockouts. With a single knockout, you have only a single row of petals and the blooms come in pink, red, blushing, rainbow and sunny (yellow). The sunny knockout is the only knockout rose to produce a fragrance. The double knockout features a double row of petals and tends to resemble the traditional rose. The double knockout is available in red or pink.
If you are looking for an easy-to-maintain and grow rose that gives you plenty of color throughout the growing seasons, then the knockout may be for you. If you love the traditional rose flower and do not mind a little extra work, then the traditional rose is what you are looking for. No matter which rose you plant, it will make a beautiful addition to your landscape.
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