Question
QUESTION: Dear Ms. Payne:
I desperately need your help. I planted 10 1 gallon red double knock out roses one week ago. As a novice gardener, I thought I was doing the right thing by mixing in Miracle Gro gardening soil enriched with 3 months slow release fertilizer with my sandy soil. I also added some composted top soil to the mix. Finally I added Miracle Gro 3 month slow release Shake and Feed Bloom Booster to the soil mix. I then added some more Miracle Gro Shake and Feed Bloom Booster around the base of the base of the plants and worked it right into the soil as instructed. I have noticed that the roses now look more pink than red - which I could live with. However, two of the roses so far have new buds that look very poor. We have been receiving a lot of rain. I read yesterday that the Bloom Booster has too much Phosphorus and is a rooting nightmare. Please help me, I have invested so much into even obtaining these roses that I can't afford to lose them. Should I did them up and replant in composted top soil alone? How do I help these plants? Thank you in advance for any assistance that you can provide. Best, Muna

ANSWER: I think this calls for drastic measures so lets replant your roses again. Dig the new holes beside the Knock Outs in the same area if there is no other space for them, making them wider and deeper than the original to try and remove some of the chemicals. You could then put this soil on another part of your garden as it has good fertilizer in it. Have the holes ready to plant before you move the roses. Because they are drunk on fertilizer don't use anything else but compost in the new holes. Then when it is cool, such as when the sun is going down, transplant the rose to the new holes. If they come out in the shape of the pot they were in and the soil stays around the roots, you can then spray them down with the hose, using a gentle spray, to eliminate some of the fertilizers on them. Now water water water to try and flush some of the excess fertilizers out. The plants will droop and look sad but just ignore them and water daily. If they start to die back, quickly prune them back past the brown leaves. This will activate new growth and the roots won't have to cope with dying canes or leaves which could get diseases in them. It will probably take them a couple of weeks before you see any improvement if they are going to live, which I am sure they will. They will also revert to the original colour of the red flowers.

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QUESTION: Hello Again Ms. Payne:
I have another question. I am in zone 6. I have an area of about 240 square feet (40 ft long by 6 ft wide) cleared along side my slightly sloping driveway. The area gets mostly morning sun and afternoon shade. My intention is to plant a row of 1 gallon Wintergreen Boxwood as a low border to frame a row of 3 Gallon Red Double Knockout Roses. I do have some existing plantings that I am going to uproot for these new ones. However, I notice that when it rains the water puddles around the plantings. Obviously, I don't want my boxwood or roses to have drainage issues. My question is therefore two fold: A) Will simply "raising" the area with the addition of top soil remedy this kind of situation and B)Starting from the edge of the driveway, what distance should I plant the row of boxwood and then what distance from the boxwoodS should I plant the 3 Gallon Knockouts?

Ms. Payne - you totally ROCK! Thank you so much in advance for helping me. I want so much for my roses to thrive - I love them so much. Thank you for your help! Best, Muna

Answer
Anyone can only take a guess at the drainage problem but if it puddles then raising the bed won't completely stop the water from framing around the base of the plants. The ideal would be to put 4 inch plastic type drainage pipe with holes down the centre of your 6 feet wide bed to make sure the water is taken away. The pipe is cheap and easy to install. Just dig the long ditch about 24 inches deep(  you will need someone who knows more than me to tell you the correct depth for your area and how to lay the drainage out) place course sand along it and then lay the pipe in and cover it up. You could plant the boxwood about 8 inches from the edge of the driveway as boxwood is very slow to grow. You also want to be able to get the weeds out. However there are many kinds of boxwood and it all depends on what kind you select. The general rule is find out how wide your selection grows and then plants it so it touches. So a 12 inch wide boxwood would be planted about 10 inches apart and when mature, would grow close to the other 12 inch one. Here is some more information for you about Boxwoods.
http://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/426/426-603/426-603.html
Then you can place your mature Knock Out roses so they please you. In normal winter climates the Knock Outs should grow to about 3 feet tall and 3 feet wide. So if they do then you need to place them on both sides of the drainage pipe. Staring with one of the right side of the pipe and then 4 feet farther down  the pipe another one of the left side. If you alternate you won't be able to see that you have done it but it will make the planting not look like little solders told to march in a straight row. In a warm winter climate the roses could go to 4 feet square even larger so you would have to prune them back hard in the spring.