If you’re wondering what to plant with Knockout roses, this 3 – 4 foot high x 3 – 4 foot wide shrub can be planted with just about any ground cover, tree, shrub, vine etc., suitable to the same growing conditions. Because this plant is not only hardy to zone 5, but also a very tough rose, get creative combining it with other plants.
Below are several plant lists in which I include the usage of the Knockout rose. Take a look…
Contemporary Front Planting
For a contemporary look, keep the planting plan simple and without fuss. By using no more than 4 different types of plants, with only one cherry red Knockout rose, I was able to give a little color to an otherwise linear and textural composition.
As you can see in the photo, foliage textures combine well. I used several bluish green festuca grasses (clumping fescue) as a rhythmic ground cover, surrounded by what will grow and be clipped/maintained as a low evergreen hedge (Pittosporum ‘Elfin’). This low evergreen hedge serves as a more disease resistant substitute to a more common choice, like boxwood.
Though still small, the course texture of the evergreen Magnolia’s foliage, which is a shiny green on top, with a reddish beige colored underside, adds a pleasant feel with the Knockout rose’s cherry red color.
Plant List:
- Pittosporum ‘Elfin’
- Festuca ‘Festina’
- 1 Rosa ‘Knockout’ red
- Magnolia ‘Little Gem’
Lawn Border Planting
In this planting I used some reddish/burgundy foliage, (which is very attractive and strong) with the red flowering Knockout rose. Two that I used are Loropetalum, with purplish leaves, and groundcover, Ajuga.
The blue green new growth of the Knockout rose, and the red flowers are very nice with succulent, Sedum ‘Autumn Joy,’ which has rosy red flowers in late summer into fall. The blue grass, Helictotrichon, is also a nice fit. For warm flowering colors, the orange flowering Abutilon ‘Victor Reiter’ is nice nearby. Repeated grass, Carex testacea, has an olive and orange blade, that adds interest. Of course, the pleasing flowers in purples and blues of the Scaevola, lavender, Verbena, Ajuga etc., adds a very nice feel.
Plant List:
- 2 Rosa ‘Knockout’ red
- Verbena bonariensis
- Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’
- Ajuga ‘Catlin’s Giant’
- Abutilon ‘Victor Reiter’
- Lavender
- Citrus
- Apple tree espalier
- Hemoracallis ‘Stella de Oro’
- Carex testacea
- Helictotrichon sempervirens
- Salvia uliginosa
- Lysimachia nummularia ‘Aurea’
- Scaevola ‘Blue Wonder’
- Convolvulus mauritanicus
- Loropetalum
- Trachelospermum jasminoides
- Ferns
- Fuschia thymifolia
Formal Garden Planting
This planting bed is part of a formal garden. The rectangular shaped bed is surrounded on all sides with a low boxwood hedge, kept around 16 inches high. Within, are 2 citrus containers, and 3 cherry red Knockout roses.
Plant List:
- Buxus sempervirens ‘Green Beauty’
- Meyer Lemon trees, in containers
- 3 Rosa ‘Knockout’ red
Dry Creek Fountain Area
In this recent planting which includes a dry creek bed made with San Pablo cobble – the tropical effect of the already existing tree ferns, ferns and nearby birds of paradise – which I wanted to retain, became the basis for the final planting plan.
As you can see from this photo angle, I used a red Knockout rose and right away there is pop in a sea of calming green. (Here’s my link to Amazon if you’re looking to buy online. 🙂
This is a great plant choice for relying on continued bloom in a mixed planting. It’s not a grandma rose, though I hate to say, some of the pictures of the flowers may make it look that way! No, my interest in this rose is really based on floral performance and reliability, which it delivers superbly (so far) on both!
Plant List:
- 3 ‘Knockout’ roses
- 2- Existing tree ferns
- Existing ferns (Nephrolepis cordifolia – thinned)
- Berberis T. ‘Concord’
- Scaevola ‘Blue Wonder’
- Aucuba japonica
- Festuca ‘Siskiyou Blue’
- Carex tumulicola
- Carex ‘Frosted Curls’
- Ajuga ‘Purple Torch’& Ajuga ‘Catlin’s Giant’
- Hemorocallis (yellow and red)
- Ficus pumila
Container Planting on Deck:
Plant List:
- 1 Rosa ‘Knockout’ red
- Red Weigelia
- Lavender
- Climbing rose
- Abutilon
As you can see, this is an extremely versatile rose that combines well. I am amazed with its’ carefree blooming nature and the performance so far, even as I have stretched to locations of part shade and containers. Stay tuned as I’m going to try a few different pruning techniques this winter, to see how this affects bloom performance the following season. To learn more about “Knockout”, check out this post.
Happy Gardening!
p.s: Unfortunately, I’ve found that it’s not always easy to get your hands on the Knockout at your local garden center, (“when you want it.”) Here’s my link to Amazon; a couple of retailers have 1 gallon sizes. And finally, here’s a blog post (a review actually) about rose pruning gloves.