You are in luck, twice!
1) you have a great neighbor
2) Knock-out roses are sooooooo easy to grow you'll want more of them.

Yes you can plant it with other things as long as the cultural requirements are similar ie lots of sun, the occasional feeding and about an inch of water per week (after establishing). Your soil might need a bit of amendment with some nature's helper or some other organic mix.

It will get at least 5'x5' in a few years unless you prune it so give it room. It needs full sun and that's about it. Although it's a rose, it's one of the easiest things to grow because it's been bred to be easy. Keep it watered well this first year, don't prune it this year and every spring give it some rose fertilizer.

What a great neighbor!

I planted red knockouts two years ago, they did great in the drought with little pampering, and are pest free. Follow the directions, the rose should thrive! Harriet

pest free, other than the japanese beetles, they love to eat the hell out of em. but otherwise generally pest-free.

when planting your knockouts, you can expect the typical 3-year sleep/creep/leap. first year they'll sleep, second year they'll creep, third year, they should leap up and spread out. the ones we planted last year (early) started creeping towards end of year, and i think they might leap a year early. the ones we planted 4 years ago lept 30 months in, and literally went from 18"w x 12"h to 5'w x 4'h in a matter of 10 months.

What is the powdery brown stuff inside the plastic?

Dora

It is usually sawdust, peatmoss or something like that. It serves to keep the roots from drying out until the rose is planted. You want to shake this out, gently, prior to planting. It has been many years since I planted bare root roses but you want to keep the roots moist, not soggy, until you plant it.
Since you have such a wonderful neighbor, who probably knows a thing or 2 about roses, why don't you ask her for her suggestions and instructions on planting it (digging the hole, forming a mound, wetting the soil, how deep to plant, etc). I'm sure she would be flattered and most gardeners are very willing to share their knowledge.

It is usually sawdust or something like that. It serves to keep the roots from drying out until the rose is planted. You want to shake this out, gently, prior to planting. It has many years since I planted bare root roses but you want to keep the roots moist, not soggy, until you plant it.
Since you have such a wonderful neighbor, who probably knows a thing or 2 about roses, why don't you ask her for her suggestions and instructions on planting it (digging the hole, forming a mound, wetting the soil, how deep to plant, etc). I'm sure she would be flattered and most gardeners are very willing to share their knowledge.

Here is a link that might be useful: Link on how to plant bare root roses

Here's a quickie tip. I LOVE Bayer All in One Rose and Flower care. It systemically feeds, protects against fungal diseases and helps with bugs. I swear by it! (But obviously - very NOT organic!) Enjoy your knockouts!

@ Garden Graphic Gal-- Thank you for the link, that's what I was looking for. My neighbor is "not" a gardener, she says she can't grow dirt but she does love having tea with me in the middle of my garden and she has helped me pull weeds before. She purchased the rose for me because she wanted to do something nice, knows I love my gardening and said I didn't have any roses.

One question that has now come up is that if it has been sitting in the original package for 3 weeks with nothing done to it, will it still grow?

I didn't mean for it to happen, but I have been out of town for 2 weeks taking care of legal business and the death of my best friend in another part of the state and the bare root rose is still on the shelf in the garage.

Will it still work if I soak it and get it in the ground this week?

Dora

@bagsmom - I am not opposed to using Bayer all in one if it works well. Right now, I need effective and simple. Thanks for the tip :)

It should be fine because of the "filler" that serves to keep it from drying out. The day before you plant, Soak the roots in a bucket overnight(avoid from submerging the crown). Good luck.

Yes you will love this rose...but like the other posters said, these babies get real big after a year or two....give them alot of space to grow....you can prune them in half in the winter or not...they are virtually maintenance free...enjoy!!!