Recently I’ve covered the original Knockout rose as well as Pink Knockout rose as garden plants, and thought I’d pass on some insight into effective garden placement. This advice applies to garden roses (and indeed garden planting design) as well. The way most people plant Knockout roses is as a single specimen plant or in mass. However, a friend of mine pointedly pointed out that the newish versions of Knockout roses allow for mixing in the garden. The fortunate thing (I wonder if the breeders envisioned this) is that the color tones of different varieties of Knockout roses are sympathetic to each other. An example in the photograph to the right demonstrates a stepping down from the original Knockout rose to a Pink Knockout rose to a light pink in the background, which if memory serves me is Bonica. A really effective planting and perhaps a way to use these tough and desirable roses with some artistry in the garden.

Rosa Laevigata, Cherokee Rose, is the state flower of Georgia, my home, so it is understandable that this rose is close to my heart. However, it is not native to Georgia, having been naturalized from China. Nonetheless, Cherokee Rose is a wonderful rose with a good story surrounding its introduction.

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The double form of Chestnut Rose, Rosa roxburghii, was introduced around 1814, half a century before the single form. The more popular double form was found in Canton, China, by William Roxburgh, an assistant surgeon with the East India Company. The single form was found in 1864 in the Szechuan province of China. Bear in mind that the term ‘introduction’ is used to describe when Rosa roxburghii was made available to European gardeners. For example, prior to discovery by Roxburgh, the double form was grown in China for generations under the name ‘Hoi-tong-hong’.

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