By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Rainbow Knock Out is a name that may cause you to get exited about the 2007 All-American Rose Selections. William Radler, the same breeder who brought us our Mississippi Medallion award-winning Knock Out, bred Rainbow Knock Out.

The All-American Rose Selections committee introduced three winners for 2007: Rainbow Knock Out, Moondance and Strike It Rich.

Rainbow Knock Out

Even more productive and disease-resistant than its famous parent, Rainbow Knock Out is a bushy and compact landscape shrub rose with short stems bearing glossy, dark green leaves. Abundant blooms are single-form flowers that start as pointed buds and appear throughout the growing season. The delicate, 2-inch, five-petaled flowers are a deep coral-pink color with a yellow center finishing nicely to light coral.

Rainbow Knock Out produces late for a lovely fall bloom. While it does not exhibit a strong fragrance, the petals emit a delicate, sweetbriar scent. Suitable for container growing in small spaces, this rose is the prefect accent to any garden. It is winter hardy to zone 4 and fully resistant to black spot, mildew and rust. The Knock Out family includes the original Pink Knock Out with cherry red blossoms, Blushing Knock Out, Rainbow Knock Out and Double Knock Out that was a hit at the Fall Flower and Garden Fest last October in Crystal Springs.

Moondance

As heavenly and lovely as its name implies, Moondance is a floribunda characterized by large clusters of creamy white, beautifully formed flowers contrasted by very glossy, dark green foliage. Upright and well branched, it is an extremely vigorous, tall plant with stems that are typically 14-18 inches long. Rose buds are pointed and oval-shaped, leading to high-centered flowers of about 25 petals each which open flat to more than 3 inches in diameter.

Moondance has an exceptionally delightful spicy fragrance for a white floribunda. Its impressive long stems can be arranged into an elegant bouquet for displaying in the home. Moondance is highly resistant to black spot, mildew and rust.

Strike It Rich

A modern version of the classic 1950 AARS award-winner Sutter's Gold, Strike It Rich resembles its famous ancestor with its strong, spicy fragrance and elegant buds of deep golden-yellow swirled with ruby red. This contemporary cousin is much easier to grow because of its great disease-resistance and strong natural vigor. This true grandiflora bears loads of long-stemmed blossoms offset by very dark green leaves and unusual, deep red stems.

A medium-tall upright bush, Strike It Rich boasts clusters of awesome double and informal flowers that are up to 5-inches in diameter with about 30 petals each. The flowers are long-lived and retain their blend of gold, orange and red tones to the very end. The blooms are stunning in a bouquet or in the landscape.

The 2007 winners excelled in two years of rigorous testing against 15 criteria including ease of maintenance and disease resistance. The AARS winner distinction ensures that the rose will perform best for gardeners nationwide.

Every year, rose hybridizers submit top performing roses for the two-year review in 23 test gardens in varying climates across the country, providing similar conditions and challenges inherent in most American gardens. Of the many roses that are tested, only a select few are crowned winners every year.

As you read rose catalogues to decide which ones you'll go buy at your local garden center, consider this year's 2007 All-American Selections winners. They sound awfully impressive.