Well, our drought is yet to come. We have had so much rain that when it stops, we are inundated with mosquitoes.

It is just one challenge after the other.

Sammy

Yes, we have all of the above, but this week, voles jumped into the mix. My Quietness was mysteriously listing and dry looking; I touched it and, voila, no roots. Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse...and why, after five years in the woods next door, did they decide to show up now?

Anyone care to share their experience with rose-eating voles?

Lila

Sure -- that would make sense, wouldn't it Robert? Your roses are stressed by the late freeze, and more stressed by drought -- so you have more disease problems.

Jeri

Well, I've got drought and thrips, the drought brings PM and thrips. But seems to be limiting the JBs. So who knows.

Thrips are the primary reason that I only grow white roses if they are more or less once bloomers or if they are small flowered. I have a few reblooming whites, but they are the exception. I have many small flowered white roses. For some reason, I find them less spoiled by thrips.

Robert, I can hear Rozanne Rozanna Dana saying, "If it's not one thing it's another, if it's not blackspot uglying up your leaf, it's a mosquito biting you on the a..".

Randy

Robert -

This is what I was talking about ealier this year when that freeze came through. The plants get hideously stressed from the freeze and are more susceptible later to disease and insect damage. I am seeing blackspot on roses that never get blackspot. Rest easy, most of the south is seeing this this year.

Jean

My roses are doing the same. I have issues that I just didn't have last year. Lack of rain isn't helping! I am just ignoring it for the most part. When I water I just blast off the ugly leaves and wait for the new growth.
Good luck, maybe we will have a good fall?
jenn

I can hear Rozanne Rozanna Dana saying, "If it's not one thing it's another, if it's not blackspot uglying up your leaf, it's a mosquito biting you on the a..".

LOL!!

Robert, not only are your roses free of beavers so far, they are free of goats as well. So look on the bright side.

I'm sorry after all your hard work you have to deal with this. Mine aren't doing too well, that is for another thread, cannot find or see any bugs yet, but something, probably more than one thing, is damaging them to the point it has made me wonder if I made a mistake planting so many roses. Plus I'm trying to learn how to care for them properly, and the unexpected keeps happening. Guess I should be thankful they're all still alive at this point.

You have a lot more to worry about with your climbers. How is Veilchenblau doing? Mine has made vigorous growth on the east side, just slight chomping damage on that one, but the upper leaves look a little curled; I'll pull back on the watering.

WEll I wish I cold just blast my roses with water, but I can't. I'm trying to save all the water for the ground and hope my lawn doesn't fry.

Jean, I didn't think of that, roses being more stressed from the freeze. I was just saying today that I have black spot or anthracnose on my Melody Parfum, and it's never had bs before. But I did move it this year too. So who knows.