They may be ubiquitous, but we’re joining the bandwagon and cheering the Knockout Rose. Unwilling to pamper fussy plants, we’d given up on roses and their chemical addictions. But finally, after watching spectacular blooms throughout the county over the past few years, we’ve given in to those multiple floriferous displays and purchased our own shrub roses to mix in foundation plantings and as mid-border anchors. They’ll grow 3 to 4 feet tall and wide, with 3-inch blooms. Although they’re not designed for cutting and their fragrance is faint, their prolific repeat blooms and disease resistance make up for this. Mix with evergreens to disguise winter’s starkness, but then stand back and prepare to be knocked-out by the ensuing display.