RE: Easy rose trend

**"* M* <b*@impact-pr.com>**

April 7, 2004

Knock OutT is the #1 rose in the US and possibly the most popular new
shrub in America this year.  It is truly a rose anyone can grow.
According to garden writer Marty Ross, "It begs to be neglected!"  It
requires little to no maintenance and blooms continuously from spring to
hard frost.  This year, Blushing Knock Out and Pink Knock Out were
introduced.  But instead of hearing from me how great it is, read below
what the people at Texas A&M have to say about it.

I can send images.

"KNOCK OUT" ROSE RECEIVES TEXAS SUPERSTAR DESIGNATION
Writer: Jennifer Paul, (972) 952-9232, j-paul@tamu.edu
Contact: Steve George, (972) 952-9217, s-george3@tamu.edu
               Brent Pemberton, (903) 834-6191, b-pemberton@tamu.edu

HIGH RES PICTURES AVAILABLE AT 
http://agnews.tamu.edu/dailynews/stories/HORT/Apr0604a.htm

DALLAS -- It has been called the perfect landscape shrub. Virtually
disease-free, Knock Out rose as received the Texas Superstar designation
by horticultural experts at Texas A&M University.

According to Dr. Steve George, Texas Cooperative Extension
horticulturist in Dallas, Texas A&M presents the title to plants that
have undergone rigorous field trial testing to demonstrate they add 
beauty to a landscape with minimal maintenance and maximum protection
for the environment.

Knock Out was first introduced in 2000 and hailed a "breakthrough shrub
rose" by the All-American Rose Selections because of its exceptional
disease resistance and hardiness. It was one of three roses to win the
prestigious AARS award for outstanding garden performance in 2000.

The rose was first brought to the attention of scientists by Dr. Brent
Pemberton, a rose researcher with the Texas Agricultural Experiment
Station at the Texas A&M University System Agricultural Research and
Extension Center in Overton.

"I have had it in field trials at the Overton Center since 1998," said
Pemberton. "From the beginning, this rose was special. In a field trial
where no disease controlling fungicides were used, Knock Out plants
retained their foliage in stark contrast to the roses around them."

During a four-year research study at the Texas A&M University System
Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Dallas, scientists found
Knock Out to be one of the finest landscape roses that they had ever
tested. During testing, no pesticides of any kind were ever applied.

"It has proven to be almost resistant to black spot, the fungal disease
that is the scourge of roses across much of the United States," said
George. "It is also resistant to powdery mildew and aphids. It is
cold-hardy throughout the state and will grow in a wide range of soils
(even highly alkaline clays) and is very heat- and drought-tolerant once
established."

The fluorescent, cherry-red blooms begin in spring, and continue to
provide color until the first frost. During the winter months,
orange-red rose hips provide added winter interest. It grows well in
planting zones 4 through 9 and will be five feet high by five feet wide
when mature.

According to George, Knock Out is extremely easy to grow, even for those
brand new to gardening, and is so pest tolerant that almost never will
pesticides need to be applied.

"Simply locate the plants where they will get good air movement over the
leaves and receive eight hours or more of direct sun each day," said
George. "Then incorporate three to four inches of finished compost into
the soil prior to planting. Keep the soil surface covered with three
inches of organic material year round."

"If someone tells me that roses are too hard or need too much care, I
tell them that this rose was made just for them," said Pemberton. "This
is one of the toughest roses I have ever grown, and it will reward the
gardener with years of beauty with very little care."

The Texas Superstar effort is one of the Texas A&M system's most
innovative and successful horticultural research and Extension programs,
said George.

"Only the best adapted, highest performing and most pest-resistant plant
materials are designated Texas Superstars, and should include the Texas
Superstar pot label," he said.

Knock Out previously was named an EarthKind rose by Texas A&M
horticulturists. Only a few roses receive the EarthKind designation.
Winners not only have to deliver outstanding landscape performance under
widely varying soil conditions with minimal care and impact to 
the environment, but they have to be beautiful as well.

"A key component of both the EarthKind and Texas Superstar designations
is that a rose's tolerance to pests is so great that you "will almost
never have to apply harsh pesticides in the care of these roses," George
said. "EarthKind and Texas Superstar plants are the finest, most
thoroughly tested and most environmentally responsible plants for use in
Texas landscapes and gardens."

For more information on the Texas Superstar program or to find the
nearest official Texas Superstar retailer, go to
http://TexasSuperstar.com.

-30-

Susan McCoy
Office: 610-388-9330
Cell:    610-220-8400
IMPACT Marketing/Garden Media Group
www.gardenmediagroup.com
"We make you popular with your customers!"

-----Original Message-----
From: gardenwriters-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
[g*@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Suzanne
Pierot
Sent: Friday, July 02, 2004 5:01 PM
To: Garden Writers -- GWL -- The Garden Writers Forum
Subject: Re: [GWL] Easy rose trend

Can you tell us more about the Knock-out rose please.
Suzanne Pierot
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mark Lee" <markl@nytec.com>
To: "'Garden Writers -- GWL -- The Garden Writers Forum'"
<gardenwriters@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Friday, July 02, 2004 12:52 PM
Subject: RE: [GWL] Easy rose trend

> I read the story of how the Knock-out Rose was developed.  The breeder
> is William Radler.  If any of you are familiar with his roses, I would
> be interested in hearing about the rose hips they produce.  As the
> editor of a newsletter on fruit growing, I try to locate plants that
fit
> into the edible landscape.  I know that Rugosa Roses, which have large
> tasty hips, are often used in rose breeding.  They share the hardiness
> and disease resistance of Mr. Radler's roses, so I wonder if any of
them
> also have similar rose hips?
> -Mark Lee, Seattle
> editor of the Western Cascade Fruit Society newsletter
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: gardenwriters-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
> [g*@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Susan
> McCoy
> Sent: Friday, July 02, 2004 8:04 AM
> To: 'Garden Writers -- GWL -- The Garden Writers Forum'
> Subject: [GWL] Easy rose trend
>
> The gardening industry has known for sometime that easy to grow roses
> were driving sales, but it now appears that carefree roses as a major
> trend in gardening has hit the big league.  Rebercca Kolls just did a
> segment on Roses 101 for ABC Good Morning America last week.  Check it
> out at
>
www.abcnews.go.com/sections/GMA/RebeccaKolls/Roses_Gardening_040630-1.ht
> ml .
>
> And The Wall Street Journal will feature Knock OutR
> (www.theknockoutrose.com) and other easy to grow roses in an article
> scheduled to run on July 9th in the Weekend Journal section. The
> reporter is focusing on low maintenance roses that anyone can grow as
a
> new fad in gardening.  The reporter interviewed Steve Hutton,
president
> of The Conard-Pyle Company, along with some happy gardeners who before
> planting Knock Out were "afraid" to grow roses.
>
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Send photos for GWL to gwlphotos@hort.net to be posted
at: http://www.hort.net/lists/gwlphotos

Post gardening questions/threads to
&quot;Gardenwriters on Gardening&quot; &lt;gwl-g@lists.ibiblio.org&gt;

For GWL website and Wiki, go to
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