Best Knockout Rose for West Florida
by Tom
QUESTION: We live in Odessa, Florida in zip code 33556. My landscaping design is green evergreen bushes and trees and white plants. We want to plant the white knockout tea rose but was advised by a nursery owner that the best knockout rose available is the red knockout rose. Appearantly the red knockout rose resists diseases, is more dought resistent and cold tolerant than the other knockout roses including the double knockout roses. We want as maitenance free roses as possible. We have come to learn that the color of the rose also has a bearing on the above maintenance free characteristics. We would like a second opinion before changing our landscaping design. Would you plant single knockout white tea roses at our location? Is the single red knockout rose plant the best for our location? If not, what rose plants would you plant? ANSWER: Hi Tom! I agree with the Florida nursery owner. I garden in Los Angeles, and I know first hand that the red knockout rose is the most disease resistant of all the knockout roses. If you really like a white rose, I recommend the creamy white Anna Olivier rose, since it's recommended by the Florida Rose Society as being extremely low maintenance, flowers with abundance, and is fragrant. The Knockouts are not fragrant. Ask your garden nursery owner to make a special order for you, if it's not in stock. Another Florida favorite is the White Iceberg rose. I love the iceberg roses, so disease resistant, and so freeflowering. No mildew problems ever. And the flowers have a lovely light fragrance. |
