S & J Nursery’s Guide to Growing
Knockout Rose Sunny
Yellow / Rosa ‘Radsunny’
( this page is being kept for informational purposes only as I am currently not growing Sunny Knockout roses, I much prefer the hardy Limoncello rose and found it an excellent replacement for our Northeast Florida Jacksonville and St. Augustine area Landscapes )
Knockout Rose Origins:
– The Knockout is a carefully bred rose that was a result of crossing old heirloom roses with more modern roses on a quest for a care free rose for all of us modern gardeners with little time and no knowledge of what roses need and how to take care of them….and that is exactly what William Radler got when he bred the Knockout line of roses. Thanks to his painstaking efforts you don’t have to be an expert rosarian to
have a beautiful and healthy Knockout Rose bush in your front yard landscape. You don’t even have to be much of a gardener at all! Its the rose for the rest of us…so we can look like we know what we are doing without
actually having to know what we are doing. Its my kind of rose… Try it you wont believe how well they thrive on….well nothing!
– A little side note that maybe not all roses in the Knockout family are
created equal. don’t get me wrong, I’m a Knockout fan, but for some reason I have found that the sunny knockouts aren’t quite as hardy or rebloom as readily without a light trimming as the other Knockout roses
in the North Florida | Jacksonville | St. Augustine area landscapes. Not really sure why the variation in hardiness and growth habit but there sure seems to be one with the sunny, the white and the rainbow. SO for the
rest of the country I’m sure these are stunning and carefree, but here in our North Florida gardens they need quite a bit more TLC than the rest.
Knockout Rose Sunny Yellow / Rosa Radsunny Preferred Exposure:
– Full sun
Knockout Rose Sunny Yellow / Rosa Radsunny Soil Preference / Salt tolerance:
– Plant Knockout roses in North Florida in just about any well draining soil. Add a
healthy shovel full of compost or cow manure to the planting hole when you dig and you’ll love the extra help it
gives you as you establish the rose in your gardens landscape.
Knockout Rose Sunny Yellow / Rosa Radsunny Size Variance:
– Knockout Roses is supposed to reach 3-4 ft high and 2-3 ft wide in the North
Florida | Jacksonville | St. Augustine garden area. Mine never really seem to get more than two feet high
and 1and 1/2 ft wide.
Knockout Rose Sunny Yellow / Rosa Radsunny Growth Habit:
– Rounded shrub rose.
Knockout Rose Sunny Yellow / Rosa Radsunny Growth Rate:
– Slower growing than typical of the Knockout rose.
Knockout Rose Sunny Yellow / Rosa Radsunny Bloom:
– Bright Yellow open faced blooms fade to a creamy yellow as they age and are
lightly scented.
Knockout Rose Sunny Yellow / Rosa Radsunny Water Requirements:
– Water daily to establish into the landscape and use supplimental irrigation twice
a week after that for best results in the landscape when not receiving regular rainfall.
Butterfly or Bird Attracting:
–
Best Uses For Knockout Rose Sunny Yellow / Rosa Radsunny:
-Excellent when planted in masses for maximum landscape curb appeal. Knockout roses
also make great container plants, try a knockout rose tree form for planters at the entryway of your home or
next to the back porch or patio for an easy care long blooming accent.
Care of Knockout Rose Sunny Yellow / Rosa Radsunny:
– Knockout roses can certainly be treated like a fussy hybrid tea rose, being
trimmed every time the blooms cycle is complete and fertilizing every two weeks with rose food. If your a rose
gardener and used to a schedule, stick with it. Your knockouts will undoubtedly be the envy of the neighborhood.
For the rest of us… here’s a few easy tips to keep your knockouts looking good….
– Water every day during the establishment period. See watering your newly planted
items for more information.
– They will need good water during the establishment period and bi-weekly
supplimental irrigation particularly in periods of low rainfall.
– Pruning may be done seasonally as needed for maximum curb appeal. Trim the plant
down to 12″ each spring and lightly as needed for rebloom through the growing season. .
– Add compost or cow manure yearly as a surface treatment pulling back the mulch and
spreading it around under the foliage of the plant on top of the existing soil. don’t forget to remulch around
the plants to help them stay cool and help them to retain moisture in our hot sunny North Florida gardens.
– Plants respond well to applications of rose food and Milorganite or fish
emulsions each month in the spring summer and fall, sprinkling the fertilizer around the mulch circle
underneath the foliage of the plant.