Easy to Grow Roses

I love to walk in the evenings with my husband and son, and our puppy Maggie May. We visit with our neighbors, get a bit of exercise, and check out all the gardens.

Our friends Rick and Kathy Salmon have always had a lovely garden, but this year it's just spectacular. Perhaps it's the renewed growth after a year of drought, as if the plants felt like they needed to explode with color and maturity before the rain wore out. Whatever the cause, I love to walk down to their garden and gaze upon Mother Nature.

Along one side of their house is a curved path (which I always love) lined with roses. Now, my MO has normally been to stay away from roses because of all the dusting and spraying and babying they require—but not the Salmon's. They've got the miracle variety ... pink Knockout roses. Man, are they easy to care for and beautiful to see (and they don't knock you out with that "rose smell" when you walk by).

When I did a search on Knockout roses I came across an interesting article from Good Housekeeping, which noted "several companies have developed roses specially bred to bloom reliably, fight insects, and resist disease--all while demanding less effort and care than their traditional cousins." These knockouts are knockouts.

• Do you grow roses?
• Which variety?
• Do you find them easy to care for, or do you wish you'd put in hydrangeas or gardenias?