Q: I have read your recommendation of 'Knock Out' roses but didn't find anything on the proper way to deadhead them. How do you do it?

— Brian Stupp, Alpharetta

WALTER REEVES / Special (ENLARGE)
'Knock Out' rose provides splendid blooms with little care if the faded flowers are regularly removed.
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WALTER REEVES WEEKEND GARDENER Walter Reeves is a TV and radio gardening show host and former DeKalb Extension agent. Listen to Reeves Saturdays on WSB-AM (750) from 6 to 10 a.m. Call 404-872-0750 to ask questions about lawns, gardens or pests or e-mail questions to georgiagardener@yahoo.com Sign up for his free garden newsletter at www.walterreeves.com. EXTRA: • Walter Reeves' Fertilizer Calendar

A: 'Knock Out' rose is a plant I can wholeheartedly recommend to any gardener. It blooms so heavily, it is so pest-resistant and it is so tough, hardly anyone has a bad experience with it. I get deep red blooms from April until October. 'Double Knock Out', 'Blushing Knock Out' and 'Pink Knock Out' are also on the market.

'Knock Out' blooms continuously if the faded blooms are removed regularly. I visit mine every week and twist off the old buds. Every four weeks, I cut long stems back by half. This two-step process keeps new growth coming and removes the hormone-filled hips that tell the rose to bloom more slowly.

Poisonous plant alert

Q: We planted a 'Sugarland' oleander recently. Our neighbor informed us it was poisonous to kids or pets, and we have both. I find it difficult to believe a home improvement store would sell a poisonous plant with no warning on the label. What say you?

— J.J. Toms, e-mail

A: I hate to be a smart aleck, but these stores sell dangerous power tools without much more than a "Keep Away from Children" label. It is true that oleander is poisonous but, to varying degrees, so are yaupon holly, Carolina jessamine, foxglove and wisteria. All are commonly sold without warning labels. If you have young pets or children, who might chew the stems of oleander, remove the shrubs. If the dogs and children are older and less likely to have accidental contact, put a small fence around your oleander to remind everyone of its toxicity while you enjoy the blooms. You can get a useful list of poisonous plants at http://tinyurl.com/8U6N5.

Olive tree chances

Q: I would like to try to grow a few olive trees. Am I setting myself up for failure? I am thinking of keeping them in large pots to give them very sandy soil.

— Mitch Rutledge, Gainesville

A: I am always amazed at what can be grown "out of zone," so I won't say you can't grow olives in Gainesville. I will say, though, that it is unlikely. Olive trees are evergreen. They will suffer lots of damage at temperatures lower than 20 degrees.

Your solution of keeping it in a pot is a good idea. You could move yours indoors when it gets cold. But keep in mind that an olive eventually grows 40 feet tall and 20 feet wide. Perhaps you could trim it regularly to keep it in bounds. I've heard that different gardeners have successfully grown olive trees in small courtyards in Atlanta, so you are welcome to try it in North Georgia. With global warming, anything is possible!