Will Radler changed expectations of what a modern landscape rose could be. A lifelong rose enthusiast and former director of Boerner Botanical Gardens in Wisconsin, Radler pursued breeding with an unusually practical goal: create roses that ordinary gardeners could enjoy without the constant spraying, pruning, and disease management traditionally associated with roses.
The result that transformed both his career and the rose industry was The Knock Out® Rose. Introduced commercially in 2000 after winning All-America Rose Selections recognition, Knock Out® combined repeat flowering, strong black-spot resistance, hardiness, self-cleaning flowers, and dependable landscape performance. It became the foundation of The Knock Out® Family of Roses and helped make low-maintenance shrub roses one of the largest sectors of the modern American rose market. The original Knock Out® was inducted into the World Federation of Rose Societies Rose Hall of Fame in 2018.
Radler's work did not stop with one rose. Double Knock Out®, White Knock Out®, Peachy Knock Out®, Icecap™, and numerous other introductions have earned awards in sustainability and international rose trials, extending his influence far beyond the original breakthrough.
