22,796 Garden Web Discussions | Roses

The curled leaves are rose sawfly - a tortrix moth larva.....but yes, broadleaf weedkillers act systemically and work over a period of 6 weeks or so (although the initial dieback happens within 10 days). The leaves will yellow, then fall off and the canes will eventually blacken. There is not a great deal you can do apart from watering since this will have to work its way out of the plant system (it is not a given that all the roses will die - some plants take several applications). What weedkiller was it? Do you know if the active ingredients were trichlopyr? 2,4D?

Water! And then more water and then water again. You need to flush their systems and they need a lot of water to do that. Don't be surprised if in the near future you see some very distorted looking growth on them. That is a symptom of herbicide damage. There may be some very reddish growth that resembles a witches broom and the leaves will be crinkled and distorted in shape. These are often signs of the Rose Rosette Disease but are also caused by herbicide spray. Just cut them off and let the plant regrow from there. It may take a couple of times but it should eventually clear up as the plant gets the toxins out of its system.
As for the sawfly larvae, there are insecticides for it BUT at this point I would not suggest using any kind of chemicals on your roses because of the weed killer issue. That also includes fertilizers. They need time to recover before you do anything else to them. The saw fly won't do as much damage as adding a new chemical to the mix at this point. Don't remove any leaves either. They need the leaves to feed and shade the plant.
You may not be able to save all of them but there is a good chance you can save some of them. I had a neighbor who sprayed RoundUp willy nilly around his yard and got my roses. It took a lot of time and patience and water but they did eventually come back. And please, make sure your husband can't get his hands on any more weed killer, lol!

I'd suggest getting several plants and growing them in different locations at the same time.
I did this with camellias--I purchased eight plants and put them in different microclimates, then I moved the survivors to the best spot in our yard. I also did a field trip to DC and the National Arboretum. I determined that they need far sunnier spots to grow when they up here in Connecticut, compared to locations further south. I also noticed this with roses--they do better in partly sunny locations the further south you go.

You're right on target, Ingrid. I don't think you'd have the same results in a coastal climate.
Henry, one of my husband's expressed objections to Hybrid Tea Roses was that they were, in his opinion " . . . ugly plants with bare bottoms."
In my conditions, to be honest, I'd say the same about many Hybrid Perpetuals.
Jeri

I previously pruned roses in January as usual, but with this years higher than normal heat waves, I'm wondering if the roses are dormant yet. I see a lot of growth and even flowers. Is waiting until February out of the question. I have been told in the past that sudden temperature changes can cause blind shoots. I see quite a lot of shoots that suddenly just quit growing. These hot days are confusing the plants and gardeners. Any thoughts out there?

I'm in Phoenix, AZ. I need to fill the hole with something and don't mind using some of the cleaner clay, but most was pretty dirty from construction debris. I'm going to the nursery tomorrow to by the 3 roses I want so I'll be asking them what they suggest to fill it with. I was thinking of getting some top soil and then mixing in some organic matter and clean clay.
Thanks for the responses.


Thank you for the timely reminder, I went out and gave mine all a good watering yesterday. They were definitely ready for it.
With respect to the garage temperature question, that will depend on a number of factors. Is the garage attached, or detached, does it have an attic, or insulation of any kind, etc. Mine is attached with 3 uninsulated walls, but an insulated appartment overhead. Outside temperatures have gone as low as -29 C / -20 F so far this season and the lowest tempeature indoors has been -6 C / 21 F.
If you have a detached uninsulated garage, then the ambient temperature inside will likely reach nearly the same temperature as the outside during extended cold spells. -20 F is almost certainly cold enough to kill a potted knock out rose. If you're garage is insulated the temperature swings should be less. You might try building an insulated box large enough to put you potted rose in, keep it in the garage and put a small 40 watt incadecent light bulb inside that you could turn on when the temperature is forecast to go below about -5 F.
Cheers, Rick

You could go to the Marin Art and Garden Center, which is in Ross, which is about 10 minutes away. Their web site is at: "www.magc.org".
It is on land that used to be a huge old estate. The main house burned down, but there are still a lot of heritage trees, & landscaped paths, etc. as well as a museum. The Marin Rose Society has a rose garden there which is very nice, although I do not know if anything is blooming in Jan. There is also a great antique shop, if you like that sort of thing.
Jackie

If Zepherine does well for you, you might take a look at one of its sports, either Martha or Kathleen Harrop. Or climbing Pinkie. Or Renae or its seedling, Annie Louise MacDowel. Any of these roses will be gracious on a post and have either none or very few prickles. I am not familiar with Climbing Pinkie but believe it is not a repeating rose.
Absolutely fabulous dogwood, by the way.....and cute little doglet.

Kittymoonbeam,
Thanks. Mac is deletedâ¦.. lol I chose that one because it got big as I want something that will not only go up to the top but drape back down. I did plan on adding arms to the post so the canes would be supported. I can either drill a hole and use heavy re-bar or like you say a couple of 2x4s. I have a crepe myrtle that is about 15 feet high â¦.. hmmmm Jasmina ya sayâ¦. lol Thanks.
subk3,
You got it, now all I have to do is come up with the perfect bush. Scratch perfect, I know betterâ¦..
I'll check out the videos, thanks.
roseseek,
Others agree with you. thornlessâ¦. NOT. That is the kind of advice I was looking forâ¦. honest. I'd hate to go to all the trouble of trying to train something that wasn't going to work.
campanula,
Thanks, I was wondering about climbing Pinkie. Come to think about it I think I got Madame Alfred Carriere confused with Annie Louise MacDowel. Your other selections also sound good. Thanks.
BTW, the picture is a year or two old so the dogwood (that was support to be Pink) is about twice that size. The dog is a 12 year old female Lhasa Apso that we keep her hair clipped. (they don't shed), She is either in our laps or waiting to be picked up. Not spoiled one little bitâ¦. and if you believe that, I have this bridge you may be interested in purchasing.


The water table is as high as the depth you dig down to find it. Roses should not sit in water. The roots cannot get enough oxygen. That is why raised beds are built. I have a lower corner in my yard that the water runs to. I put in a raise bed and the roses are doing great.
We live over a giant underground river called the Mahomet River Aquifer. It comes out of Canada.It is a larger river than the Mississippi! My Boyhood home used to be on it. The well was over 150 feet down. I remember my Dad had a leak in a pipe. They started pulling hose and went across the street and still was pulling hose!

I use the Houston Rose Society Rose Fertilizer. It is a concentrate, like a 29-#-#, sorry can't recall the P and K. Heavy on Nitrogen, works great here. Apply it once a month to the soil around the plant, not on the plant. They suggest watering the day before Feeding. Works great.
HRS Fert guide link: http://www.houstonrose.org/mo041207.htm

I don't mess around with granules any more, it's too much work. I liquid feed. All food has to be turned in a solution anyway
To start the year I use Miracle Gro 24 -8-16. That is at bud break.I also spray for disease then.
My next application is Monty's Joy Juice and I apply that weekly up to September 1. I use the Monty's feeder. I can feed my 470 roses in 20 minutes!




In your zone container roses shouldn't need any type of protection. IF the temps are going to go WAY below freezing, like the teens, you might want to put them in a garage for that time. Otherwise just leave them alone except for the occasional watering if there is no rain. Watering is the most important thing. Roses will die from dehydration more than from cold really.



That deep blanket of snow is the best insulation that rose can have so it should be fine. As a matter of fact, when you shovel go ahead and pile some on top of the roses. It's been an abnormally cold winter here this year so I'm sure you'll lose cane but the plant it's self should come back in the spring.
I, too, don't see any reason to caveat affection for KO roses. These roses can fill up a really difficult spot, and not everybody has the time, money, gardeners, and inclination to fuss over the roses that some of us do. There is a nursing home near my place that set out of KO roses, and I rolled my eyes...until I saw how beautifully the KO roses were doing with no spray and little fuss and how much the old dears enjoyed sitting in the front with the blooms instead of the bare dirt and scruffy grass that been there between them and the traffic. Some of us, like Vita Sackville-West, only like flowers that are "brown and difficult to grow." :-).
This post was edited by DrPekeMom on Fri, Jan 17, 14 at 17:46