Knockout Roses

My dad always enjoyed gardening and had beautiful gardens throughout his property. But the one thing he always complained about were his roses. No matter what he did, he always got black spot on his Tea Roses and it really bothered him. So, a few years ago, I gave my dad a small, 12" Knockout Rose for his birthday. At the time, I was taking a class on Woody Plants at Farmingdale and my teacher was Vinnie Simeone, director of Planting Fields Arboretum in Oyster Bay, New York. He spoke to us not only about the beauty of these shrub roses, but also the ease in which they can be cared for. Knockout Roses are disease resistant, drought tolerant and self cleaning, so there is no need to deadhead. At Planting Fields, he was slowly replacing the Tea Roses with shrub roses. This was a plant I knew my dad had to have. 

Take a look at it today:

Clearly it is doing well! And as promised, it has been disease free and maintenance free. He prunes it every spring, but otherwise, he just lets it do its thing. 

The rich cherry red/hot pink flowers begin blooming in the spring and will continue until the first hard frost. The foliage is a dark purpleish green and turns burgundy in the fall. It enjoys full sun. They are a wonderful plant for every garden and landscape.

Camellias at Planting Fields Arboretum

Planting Fields Arboretum is a State Park located on Long Island, NY. It was once a former Gold Coast estate and is now a public arboretum and historic site. It has 409 acres of greenhouses, rolling lawns, formal gardens, woodland paths and plant collections.

At any time of the year it is a fantastic place to visit. But in February, the real show is the Camellias.

Planting Fields is the home to the Camellia Greenhouse, designed by Lowell & Sargent/Olmsted Bros. in 1917-1922. Today it houses over 300 plants, some of them from the original collection brought over from England in the early 1900's.

Looking around at all the different varieties, I couldn't help but be amazed at this incredible plant and gorgeous flowers.

If you live in the area, Planting Fields is holding a Camellia Weekend festival in a few weeks. Check out their website for more details:  http://www.plantingfields.org

Even if you miss the festival, I still recommend you go to the greenhouse to see the Camellias. They certainly brighten up a winter day!