I wish I could see a closer look at the blooms. It is possible that this may be rootstock.

Blackspot isn't the most common of problems in Sunset Z23, SoCal -- tho it is possible. 'Dr. Huey' rootstock, however, CAN sure blackspot -- which makes me suspicious.

Jeri

After looking at the photo, the first thing that came to mind was Dr. Huey. Not a good thing for a new gardener to mess with. I would dig it up and toss it. Then replace it with something that will do well for you. Now it's time to think about what type of bush, flower type and color you want. Most roses grow well in you're area.

That's just rootstock. The rose that the homeowner originally bought died at the graft and the *yucky* root stock took over. I say *yucky* because Dr. Huey is probably the most common rose in these parts specifically for this reason. It only blooms once per year, and the rest of the time it just sits there and gets every known disease in the rose world.

Get a new rose. And get every bit of that root stock out, or you will soon be fighting it again.

Absolutely chuck this thing out and replace it. The Dr. is a monstrosity and not to be taken lightly.

Very interesting. Everyone agrees this is Dr. Huey- but it looks like a standard rose to me. Dr. Huey throws long arching canes here. I've never seen it look like a standard. That shows, I guess, what a difference in climate has.

Save the photo and blow it up to see it more clearly. That is a standard of a red HT or floribunda. The spent flowers have long peduncles with rather lacy sepals. Huey does not. Agreed, the color of the spent flowers resembles it and the old, barky wood you can see more than likely IS Huey, but it's the Huey standard trunk. The foliage is not Huey.

I do not see any black spot on that plant. You state it flowered well, then "turned bad". Please explain what you mean by "turning bad". It's apparent the plant is against the wall of a house or building. What city is it in? I know "Sunset Zone 23", but knowing what city will help determine if some of the problem is reflected heat from the wall behind it. Roses can endure a lot of heat, but they will NOT flourish and look great with high levels of reflected heat from nearby walls. Being cooked by such heat will make them look bad and, if it's strong enough, long enough, can actually kill them.

If the plant over heated, the foliage, new growth, buds and flowers are going to look like crap. Spraying it with chemicals or adding systemics to the soil in that situation and those conditions will very likely make it look even worse. What have you done to "treat it for black spot"? What products specifically have you used and how frequently? How regularly is this watered and how is it watered? What's the drainage like in the soil under it? Is there a sidewalk or driveway in front of it so it is sandwiched between two solar heat collectors? There is a lot of missing information which can easily determine the answer to your question. Knowing more will make it easier to give you a suitable answer. Kim

This is the top, center of the plant in the photo.

This post was edited by roseseek on Sun, May 26, 13 at 2:19

Kim -- Why didn't I think of saving that image, and enlarging it?

STILL not a great look at it -- but better. And I agree that this is not Doc Huey. Maybe the red blooms have a paler reverse?

I, too, would like to know the location of this rose.
I am myself Sunset Z23, and I know that tho we are now having cool weather, we have had two nasty heatwaves this spring, to date, with dry desert wind. Our roses here bloomed magnificently, until the first hot spell cooked them. Anything that one missed -- the second one got 'em. We've been deadheading, but no hope of keeping up.

Roses planted against our south-facing retaining wall get hit hardest in these weather patterns -- which is why we're very careful now about what we plant there.

No. I don't see blackspot. I DO see some good, clean new foliage, and some new buds.

Rather than spraying, I'd give this guy plenty of water, and remove damaged or ugly leaves. Cut the old blooms off, right below the bloom. (Or you can snap 'em off with your fingers.)

Waiting for more info.

Jeri

I did save it and blow it up and I agree it looks like a standard. And those blooms have way too many petals to be Dr Huey. It would be helpful to have the answers to Kim's questions. But for now I say clean it up and remove all the spent blooms and dead leaves. Water it and wait and see if it sprouts some new growth. Don't feed it, spray it or prune it yet. It's already stressed enough.

I think Jeri is right that just deadheading those burnt blooms will pretty that rose up immensely.
tho The rose looks a bit like the hunchback of notre dame from not being kept pruned into shape... It may take a little while to prune it back to a better shape and encourage it to fill out. patience and time. It's still a going concern, just a little out of shape.

Is it potted or planted? if it's potted, it may need repotting.

Thanks everyone. Here are some answers to Kim's questions. The plant is in ground boxed between the South Facing wall and a brick patio. The soil is covered in small garden rocks so I am not clear about what the soil is like under it.
The treatment that I have used about every 6 weeks is: Safer brand fungicide (.40 sulphur) I am including a better picture. Thanks for the help.

A shot of the ground area

"Standards" in rose people's lingo are what the garden center calls "tree roses." There is a graft at the top of the trunk from which canes diverge. Below that, the trunk is of a different variety.

The rose has not "gone bad"--it is cycling normally with a spring flush of flowers that have faded, and new growth has begun that will flower in a few weeks.

Looks like a bit of powdery mildew in the lower left of the closeup, no big deal.. In the first shot, it looks like some leaves are pale with green veins. That could indicate a nutrient deficiency, probably iron, although the new growth looks healthy.

The Safer sulfur product will control powdery mildew should it become a problem. Be sure the plant has been watered thoroughly before applying sulfur, or it can burn the foliage.

"Standards" in rose people's lingo are what the garden center calls "tree roses." There is a graft at the top of the trunk from which canes diverge. Below that, the trunk is of a different variety. Rose standards are usually reinforced with a stout stake.

The rose has not "gone bad"--it is cycling normally with a spring flush of flowers that have faded, and new growth has begun that will flower in a few weeks.

Looks like a bit of powdery mildew in the lower left of the closeup, no big deal.. In the first shot, it looks like some leaves are pale with green veins. That could indicate a nutrient deficiency, probably iron, although the new growth looks healthy.

The Safer sulfur product will control powdery mildew should it become a problem. Be sure the plant has been watered thoroughly before applying sulfur, or it can burn the foliage.

Thank you for providing more information! That makes answering your questions much easier. First, as has been suggested, STOP using EVERYTHING on this plant except water. South facing wall, sandwiched between a brick patio, concrete steps and mulched with stones...all of which are solar collectors. Your rose is being FRIED. Mildew can occur when temps are cool and the weather is damp. Mildew can also be forced when a rose is severely water stressed, such as when it is hot and dry and the plant is being cooked, using more water than it can take up through the roots. Sulfur can burn the foliage, as Michael says. It WILL burn the foliage in the type of heat we've recently had in the stone oven that poor plant is growing in.

Second, get rid of those stones around the plant and replace it with an organic product like a shredded wood or something. Descanso Gardens thought they would be "thrifty" and replaced the organic mulch in Dr. Lammert's Rose History Walk years ago with lava rock mulch. It prevented weeds as expected, and never needed replenishment as it never "broke down". It also collected heat every time the sun shined on it, radiating it into the soil, killing the feeder roots of the plants and keeping them more water stressed than they otherwise would have been by keeping the soil hot, instead of cooler and damper. Stone mulch is what is used where you want nothing to grow. NOTHING. Perhaps it works in cooler climates or those with rain (which we have precious little of in GOOD years), but not in Southern California.

Third, do remove the dead, dried leaves. Any leaf that has any green color to it, leave alone. Cut off the dead flowers above the leaves below the flower. You want to leave every green leaf there is on that plant. Each green leaf adds its own amount of photosynthesis to the total supporting the plant. Each leaf also helps shade the canes from the direct sun, preventing them from over heating and sun scalding. If it is unbalanced, or there are canes you feel should be removed to make it more pleasing in appearance, all of that can be accomplished once the plant is happier, less stressed. Right now, it will benefit more from all the viable foliage and wood it has. Removing what you feel needs removing is better left for cooler conditions later in fall or winter.

You want to water not only the plant, but spray the tops and bottoms of the foliage to cool, clean and rehydrate the plant. You also want to wash the sulfur off the foliage, to prevent it from burning when the temperatures go back up again later this coming week. There already is new growth, new foliage, new flower buds on the rose, so even with the heat it receives, it IS growing, setting itself up to produce another new crop of flowers. I honestly believe the mildew you see on the plant is due more to the stress of transpiring (sweating) more water than it can absorb, inducing it to mildew. Even if you get some mildew from the weather without the heat, unless it is severe, it is honestly nothing to worry about. When there is sun and heat, the conditions that plant grows in are going to be warm enough to knock down most mildew issues as long as the reflected, radiated heat is reduced and it's kept sufficiently watered.

Cleaning the dead leaves and spent flowers from the plant will improve its appearance dramatically. What have you been using to fertilize it? Kim

The only thing I would add to Kim's excellent advice comes from our own experience with south-facing roses against a white wall.

PUT SOMETHING BEHIND IT.

A strip of that cheap latticework stuff may be enough. SOMETHING to reduce the amount of heat radiating back at it from the wall. We put big latticework panels between roses and our retaining wall, and it made a HUGE difference.

Also, after you remove the rocks, cover the area with some nice, cheap MULCH. You can use the stuff home Depot sells in bags as "Western Bark." In fact, it's on sale this weekend! That will make the rose's roots FAR happier.

Jeri

Bark can work, but it moves too easily in small spaces. Something more shredded like the ones linked below, are easier to work with and keep in smaller, tighter places. They "knit" together and don't move with wind, feet, animals and water as easily. I'm a lazy gardener. I would much rather put something in place and have it STAY there without my having to continually put it back. If you can find it easily and cost effectively, it's worth a little more as long as it easily fits the budget. I also prefer naturally colored materials instead of anything died or tinted. That's personal preference. Kim

Here is a link that might be useful: Shredded wood products

What roseseek said, and I would stake it with a metal pole as well. Rose standards are vulnerable to snapping off--they are not inherently strong and need support for life as the "head" gets larger and more lush and thus heavier. A good strong stake keeps them vertical as well.

The reason for metal pole not wood is that wood eventually degrades and metal does not.

Thanks for catching my omission, Hoov. I was focused upon the actual plant and paid no attention to the lack of support. Kim

I like those dull green garden poles. Not as ugly as some things used for the purpose.

Jeri

I like those dull green garden poles. Not as ugly as some things used for the purpose.

Jeri

Good, congratulations! She cleaned up rather nicely, it seems. I'm glad! Kim

HOORAY!

Jeri