I've always been a bit of a survivalist type gardener. I put plants in the soil, give them some water and hope they survive. Fussy, needy plants rarely live very long in my gardens. Many of these Diva type plants die on their own, and those that don=t agree to die a quick death get yanked out because despite their beauty, they are to buggy or disease prone for my gardening tactics. If it sounds like I=m waging war instead of gardening, it must be summer and the Japanese Beetles are out.

After that blunt confession, you might find it hard to believe that I have a rose garden in my yard. Roses are the diva of diva plants. If you doubt me, look at the garden care section of any store and you=ll find that roses have their own fan club. From bug killers and fungus controls to fertilizers of every nutrient combination you can find it in the rose care section. No other shelving space is dedicated to one plant category like rose care is. You won=t, for example, find maple care products or hemlocks or even hydrangeas, but you=ll find plenty of Astuff@ for roses.

So how can I grow roses if I refuse to spray, dust or otherwise pamper them? I simply choose to grow types of roses that don=t need all that Astuff@ to look beautiful.

Once, roses were considered the centerpiece of every good garden. Roses have developed a reputation of being just too much work and their appeal among many gardeners dwindled.  But, now that all has changed with Knock Out roses.

Knock Outs are a patented shrub rose that can grow about 3 feet tall and wide. They continuously produce clusters of 3-inch diameter blooms. In my garden these roses bloom from mid-June to late fall. I've seen many articles claiming it=s one of the longest blooming roses on the market.

If I had to cite one drawback; it would be that these roses aren't well suited for cut flowers as the blooms are small and not strongly scented.

    The Knock Out rose was developed by Wisconsin rose breeder William Radler who has been growing roses since he was a child. His breeding efforts began about 20 years ago and focused on developing repeat blooming, cold hardy roses that didn't get diseases. Sounds like the perfect roses to me! By the mid 1990's he had developed and began to grow for production, Knock Out roses. In 2000, the Knock Out rose  won the prestigious All-America Rose award. Since it=s introduction it=s became the fastest selling new rose in history, with 250,000 sold the first year alone.

Like all roses, Knock Outs are best in full sun or very light shade. They thrive in fertile, well drained soil. I prune mine in early spring, just before the new growth emerges. You could also prune during the growing season as needed to control height and size. In periods of extended drought Knock Outs will stop producing buds unless you water them thoroughly and a complete rose fertilizer applied monthly will help to ensure success and repeat blooms.

Although the original Knock Out was only available in a single pink bloom, you can now find them in a wider range of colors and with either single or double blooms.

If you are interested in seeing Knock Out roses up close and personal, take a drive by the new garden on the Town Common in Lunenburg. The Turkey Hill Garden Club designed Red Double Knock Out roses into the perennial border to provide continuous summer blooms with little to no maintenance. This rose is a great choice for that location and just about any other where summer color would be welcome - without having to bring along the arsenal of pesticides and fungicides that traditionally were required to grow great roses!

Michelle Harvey is a Massachusetts Certified Horticulturist.  She can be contacted at Lakeview Nurseries in Lunenburg or Winchendon or at michelle@lakeviewnurseries.com