Rose ‘Sunny Knock Out’

Rose 'Sunny Knock Out' (Rosa 'Sunny Knock Out') is the yellow rose for people who do not want a rose garden. It makes a rounded shrub about 1.2m tall and 1.2m wide, flowering in flushes from spring through autumn. The blooms open bright buttercup yellow and age to cream, so one plant carries two tones at once, and it is scented, unusual in this family of landscape roses.

Why you'll love it

• Two tones on the one bush. New blooms open bright yellow and older ones soften to cream, so the plant always looks layered rather than uniform.
• It is scented. A light sweet fragrance carries on a still evening, which most tough landscape roses give up in exchange for hardiness.
• One prune a year. No deadheading routine, no staking, no tying. Cut it back once in late winter, feed it, and that is the maintenance.
• Wide climate range, safe around pets. Frost hardy, drought tolerant and heat tolerant across subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens, and not toxic to cats or dogs.

Where it works best

Low informal hedging. Plant 800mm apart for a hedge that closes to about 1.2m and stays furnished to the ground. Expect a soft flowering edge rather than the sharp face of a clipped hedge.

Mass planting, borders and pots. In groups of three or five at 800mm centres it carries flowering colour through a mixed bed, and along a driveway it holds a line without blocking the view. A pot 500mm or wider keeps one plant nearer 1m.

Growing Sunny Knock Out roses in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, six hours minimum. Shade costs you flowers first and foliage health second. It grows across subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens, and it is frost hardy, so southern winters are no obstacle.

Soil. Free draining, and worth preparing properly. Dig compost and aged manure through the bed before planting, because roses respond to soil preparation more than to anything you do later. Mulch 75mm deep, back from the stems.

Water and feed. Deep soak weekly through the first summer to draw the roots down, then it copes with dry spells. Water at ground level, not over the foliage. Feed a rose fertiliser in early spring and after each flush.

Pruning. Cut back by about a third in late winter, before the buds move, taking out dead, weak or crossing wood. That single cut sets up the season, because flowers form on new growth.

What to expect when it arrives

This one is grown as tube stock, so each plant arrives young and well rooted, noticeably smaller than the 1.2m shrub it becomes. Allow a full growing season to reach useful size and two before a low hedge closes over. Measure the bed at 800mm centres and order the whole quantity in one go.

It is deciduous, and that changes what turns up at the door. A plant delivered in the cooler months arrives with few leaves or none, looking like short bare canes. That is dormancy, not damage. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse the full rose range
• Rose 'Blushing Knock Out' for the same shrub in soft pink
• How to prune shrubs and roses without overthinking it
• Compare other fragrant plants for the garden

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a hedge?

Space plants 800mm apart for a low informal hedge. The shrubs meet within two seasons, and each keeps enough air around it to stay clean through a humid summer.

Why do the flowers change colour?

The blooms open bright yellow and fade to cream as they age, so a bush in full flush shows both shades. Heat speeds the fading, so summer flowers pale faster than spring ones.

Is it safe around cats and dogs?

Yes. Roses are not toxic to cats or dogs. The thorns are the only real consideration, so keep it out of a narrow path where a dog brushes past constantly.