An Easy-Care Rose (Knock Out) and a Motivational Tip for a Memorable Life

On August 9, 2021August 9, 2021 By SCLMRoseIn #MondayMotivation, #PositiveThinking, Low Maintenance Roses, Roses1 Comment

Knock Out® Roses, the easy-care roses hybridized by Wisconsin-born William J. (Bill) Radler, won the All-American Rose Selection (AARS) award in 2000. The Knock Out^® Rose, Radler’s first commercial success, has broken all records for sales of a new rose. Today, the Knock Out^® Rose is the most widely sold rose in North America.

The Knock Out^® Family of Roses is highly disease-resistant roses, easy to grow and bloom repeatedly and profusely from spring until frost with healthy foliage that does not need the chemical spray program. Blooms are fire engine red in cool weather and cherry red in the summer months. The foliage is dark green and leathery with a burgundy hue. They are low-maintenance roses with a bloom cycle of about every 5-6 weeks and continue until the first hard frost. All of the Knock Out^® Roses are self-cleaning, so there is no need to deadhead. If unpruned, The Knock Out^® Family of Roses can easily grow more than 3-4’ wide x 3-4’ tall in two years. A once-a-year pruning (to about 12” above the ground) in early spring (after the last hard frost) is also recommended for maximum performance. The Knock Out^® Family of Roses is winter hardy to USDA Zone 5 and heat tolerant throughout the entire U.S. They thrive in almost every area of the country.

The Knock Out^® Family of Roses can fit into any landscape. Plant them individually among shrubs, annuals, and perennials in mixed beds and borders, in large groups to create a colorful hedge or along a foundation to provide a bright border.

The Conard-Pyle Co./Star^® Roses is the proud distributor of all members of The Knock Out^® Family of Roses. Bill Radler was the 2008 recipient of the Great Rosarians Award for hybridizing disease-resistant roses, particularly the Knock Out® family of roses. He has been leading the way to develop new disease-resistant roses for American gardeners. Bill Radler has revolutionized the way we think of roses. With the creation of The Knock Out^® Rose, many say he single-handedly brought rose genetics from the 20th Century into the 21st Century.

Tip of the day: Focus your mind and find joy in the present. Our life is made up of moments. Moments that, if you fail to appreciate, will simply pass you by. You’ll miss the beauty of living in the here and now. And once gone, you can’t live them again. Create the most pleasing experiences by immersing yourself in each moment, and you will, in time, create some incredibly epic memories!

A rose (Rosa Rugosa) and a Tip for a Happy, Healthy and Successful Living

On October 2, 2018 By SCLMRoseIn #amwriting, #HelpfulTips, #inspiration, #motivational, Low Maintenance Roses, Rose Gardening, Roses1 Comment

Rosa rugosa

Rosa rugosa roses are very attractive plants but prickly, heavily armored with unforgiving thorns and noted for its wrinkled or rugose foliage. Rosa rugosa produces an abundance of flowers in almost any soil, from heavy clay to beach sand and is a rich source of vitamin C. Rosa rugosa blooms for a long period of time and bears either single or double blossoms with wonderful fragrance. After the petals fall, the plants produce rose hips of a deep red-orange. Rosa rugosa are extremely hardy, except maybe in the most northern gardens. They can be planted in a row to serve as a dense, impenetrable hedge. They are disease-free and rarely bothered by insects. They are also useful in cosmetics and in food.

Rosa rugosa can sucker and spread throughout the garden. The Rosa rugosa’s sprawling characteristics can be useful in keeping steep banks stabilized. If you live next to the water, it is useful to hold banks against erosion. Rugosa roses thrive on ocean mist and sandy soil to beautify many coastal settings. Rugosa roses are underappreciated because it lacks the show quality of hybrid teas but they are tough plants.

Here is a list of some of the rugosa roses currently available.

Alba – white, single, 6 ft.

Conrad Ferdinand Meyer – Mid-pink, double, 8 ft., train as climber.

David Thompson (Explorer series) – Medium red, double, 4 ft.

F.J. Grootendorst – Medium red. semi-double, fringed petals, 6 ft.

Hansa – violet-red, double, 6 ft.

Henry Hudson (explorer series) – white, double, 3 ft.

Jens Munk (Explorer series) – Medium pink, double, 6 ft.

Linda Campbell – medium red, double, 3-5 ft.

Magnifica – dark red, full, 6 ft.

Martin Frobisher (explorer series) – Light-pink, semi-double, 6 ft.

Max Graf – pink blend, single, 2 ft.

Nova Zembla – white, double, 8 ft.

Sarah Van Fleet – medium pink, semi-double, 8 ft.

Scabrosa – mauve, single, 6 ft.

Sir Thomas Lipton – white, double, 8 ft.

Therese Bugnet – medium pink, full, 6 ft.

White Grootendorst – white, full, 6 ft.

Tip of the Day – Strive for excellence, not perfection.

Until next time. Stop and smell the roses.

Rosalinda Morgan

A Rose (Simplicity) and a Tip for a Happy, Healthy and Successful Living

On August 28, 2018 By SCLMRoseIn #amwriting, #inspiration, #MondayMotivation, #motivational, #PositiveThinking, Low Maintenance Roses, Rose Gardening, Roses2 Comments

Simplicity with its reflection in a puddle on the street.

Simplicity is a semi-double medium pink floribunda with 18 to 24 petals hybridized by Bill Warriner and introduced by Jackson & Perkins in 1979. Originally Jackson & Perkins sold them in lots of ten as a “living fence”.

It is an excellent landscape rose and is widely considered the first-ever hedge rose. Rosarians love them because they are very healthy and generous on blooms. However, there is very light or no fragrance at all. Its growth is 3-5 ft tall and 2-3 ft wide, vigorous, disease-resistant and winter hardy plant with medium green, semi-glossy foliage. Bloom size is 3”-4” and it blooms well in all climates.

Here are the various Simplicity roses in the market today. They are excellent plants for hedges.

Introduced in 1979 – Pink Simplicity (pictured above)

White Simplicity

Introduced in 1991 – White Simplicity (Photo courtesy of J&P)

Yellow Simplicity

Introduced in 1998 – Yellow Simplicity (Photo courtesy of J&P)

Fragrant Lavendar Simplicity

Introduced in 2007 – Fragrant Lavender Simplicity (Photo courtesy of J&P)

Double Red Simplicity

Introduced in 2011 – Double Red Simplicity (Photo courtesy of J&P)

Tip of the Day – Maintain a healthy weight to help you prevent or control medical conditions such as hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, gall stones and breathing problems.

Until next time. Stop and smell the roses.

Rosalinda Morgan

Drift Roses – A Great Rose for Small Gardens

On July 22, 2018 By SCLMRoseIn #amwriting, #inspiration, #motivational, #PositiveThinking, Low Maintenance Roses, Rose Gardening, Roses2 Comments

Drift® Roses are a cross between full-size groundcover roses and miniature roses. A combination of toughness, disease resistance and winter hardiness with a manageable size and repeat blooming characteristics make Drift Roses the perfect plant for small gardens and containers.

Introduced in 2006 by the same company, Conard-Pyle Co. who brought us the Knock Out Family of roses, Drift Roses have been tested extensively under diverse climate conditions and are hardy to Zone 4. Like The Knock Out® Family of Roses, Drift® Roses are virtually maintenance-free and bloom almost continuously from spring to frost. The bloom cycle is about every 5-6 weeks.

Drift® Roses are low growing plants about 1-1/2 to 2 feet in height spreading to 3 to 4 feet wide with show stopping color and very attractive glossy foliage. They are great landscape plants providing colors for borders, perennial beds, hillsides for erosion control, foundation plantings and entryways. They are highly disease resistant which should appeal to busy gardeners.

There are 9 varieties: Apricot Drift, White Drift, Sweet Drift, Coral Drift, Pink Drift, Red Drift, Peach Drift, Lemon Drift and Popcorn Drift. Drift Roses are sold at independent garden centers and big box stores like Home Depot and Lowes.

Tip of the Day – Don’t procrastinate.

Until next time. Stop and Smell the Roses

Rosalinda