It would help to have a picture. Are you sure it's a bug that's affecting it? Could be canker, or a cane borer. But we need to see it to be able to offer advice.

If there's something green left, yes you can probably save the rose. Cut off the part that's affected, and treat the green part with a little TLC. That's the best we can do without being able to diagnose what IT actually is.

Yes, it can be saved. You are in zone 9, and you say that your rose is "in the can". In addition to doing what Kathy said (cut off all dead growth), I would do the following if it was mine:

1) PLANT IT IN THE GROUND! - now is the perfect time for planting in zone 9 - the winter rains are about to start, and temperatures are cool/cooling. This will allow the rose to make roots & get used to being in the ground over the Winter, when it will get a lot of rain. Be sure to plant it where it will get sun (when there is any).
2) In addition to cutting off dead parts, cut off blooms/buds & any hips forming - this will allow to rose to concentrate on growing roots.
3) Feed it a little if you have not previously.
4) Take away any weeds that may be growing near it, and mulch around it with 1-2 inches of mulch. Do not let the mulch touch the rose canes.
4) Wash it off well with a hose.
5) Don't expect a lot of growth until next Spring. Feed it again in the Spring when you see new growth.

Good luck!

Jackie

Ditto what Kathy and Jackie said. But if you can't plant it in the ground (in an apartment?) at least get it into a bigger pot with new potting soil. Those nursery cans are not big enough and after 3 years what ever soil they put in there is depleted.

I live in San Francisco. I took a sample of the diseased leaf to Sloat garden and the fellow there who knew all about roses told me that it was a common bug and I got this general spray for it. It is called Rose rx 3 in 1, fungicide, insecticide, miticide. Made by Bonide. It seemed to help a bit, but how do I spray the underside of the roses? very hard. Do you think this is a good product? I have a terrible gopher problem so I want to repot it in a larger pot, rather than in the ground. I am new to roses so any and all advice is appreciated. I think this rose is amazing, because other ones I have had have died. I will try to post a photo. My name is Carol

Opinions here vary widely on spraying, and of course the type of spray that's best depends on the type of problem you're facing. For an icky yet practical example, if you had athlete's foot (a fungus), aspirin cream for pain wouldn't do much. You'd need an antifungal.

Same thing with roses. Generally we deal with either a bug problem or a disease/fungal problem. Pics of the affected area are super for figuring out which you have.

The spray you were recommended treats the whole shebang, so it sort of sounds like the person who suggested it didn't really know or couldn't tell what's wrong with your rose, so they had you get something that covers all their bases. A lot of us prefer to let bugs live & live with their damage, because it's usually cosmetic only & won't threaten your rose's survival.

My greatest threat is fungal, so I use fungicide only. I know it's much different where you live, but we have a good representation of folks near you that could probably pinpoint your specific issue with a couple of pics posted here. Good luck!

Oh yeah--importantly--the reason why we learn to live with bugs is that there are so many good ones out there and your spray can't tell the difference. It kills 'em all. No need to namelessly wipe out bees & butterflies!

The rose spray that was recommended to me says, "for organic gardening". And something has to be done because the wood is just breaking off, sort of like osteoporosis. Something is destroying the inside of the stems and canes. My poor rose looked like it had broken a bone, like my mom who is 94.

Have you tried contacting the nearest rose society and asking to consult a Consulting Rosarian? Any nursery which deals in roses, but not the big boxes, should have contact information for the nearest rose society.

There are some pretty good Consulting Rosarians in the Bay Area.
It also might be helpful to get digital photos of the problems, and post them here.

To post photos here, you must first upload them to Photobucket, but if you don't want to do that, you are welcome to send them to me. I could post them for you. Send me a private message, and we'll arrange that.

But honestly -- 3 years in a 5-G can?

I strongly suspect your rose has flat run out of soil.
You really can't expect much more than 3 years, in that situation. Just try walking around for a few months with your size 6 feet shoved into size 5 shoes!

Get the poor thing into a larger container, or go out and buy a new plant.

Jeri

I agree with Jeri - get into a MUCH larger pot immediately!

After you do that, I have a question - are you sure they are gophers, and not moles? Moles make mounds, and gophers eat plants. Moles eat earthworms and insects - not plants. I have moles in my garden occasionally, and they don't hurt anything - people just don't like them because they make lawns look messy. So, if you are not sure, you might want to look on the internet to see how to tell them apart, and if it is moles, not gophers, I would still plant that rose in the ground.

Jackie

I agree with Jeri too. There are a lot of great Consulting Rosarians in your area and I'm sure one of them would be glad to help you. You can find a local CR by going to the American Rose Society's web site. That's what I did when I got started. I met a really nice rose nut like myself and he got me to a local rose society meeting and there I met a lot of nice rose nuts like me! And get that rose in to a new great big pot with some new potting soil!

As for the 3 in 1 product I don't like them because they are very nonspecific. If you have a bug use the right insecticide for that bug. Otherwise you could just end up killing the good bugs and leaving the bads ones to take over. It's OK to use fungicides, actually it's recommended, as a preventive measure, that is before you have a fungal disease. But never use insecticides unless you have actually seen AND IDed the insect you are dealing with. Almost all insecticides work on contact and if the bug ain't there your spraying money and time down the drain. AND killing the beneficial bugs that can keep the bad ones in check to boot!

I really appreciate all the people who have replied here. I actually tried to unpot the rose awhile back, but the roots had grown down through the drain holes into the dirt and I was worried about damage I would do. Any thoughts on this?

I know all about gophers, trust me!!! I even took a video of one as it emerged from the hole, grabbed a big swath of grass, and quickly disappeared.(It did this many times, only a foot away from me) They are so bold, it is truly amazing. Have gone to many gopher websites, and my conclusion is to use pots!!!

Ok, so it is gophers - just checking.

If I were you, I would get a BIG pot, at least 2 or 3 times bigger than the one it is in. I would cut the roots where they emerge from the pot, and take it out of the pot, and pot it up in the new, bigger pot, with potting soil, which should have some food in it. It will take a while to re-establish itself, so I would cut off any blooms, buds, or hips, and maybe cut the longest canes back a bit. Then make sure to keep it well watered while it is recuperating from being transplanted.

Jackie

Obviously if those roots have grown through the drainage hole the plant has out grown the pot. Don't worry about the roots coming through the drainage hole. Just cut them and re-pot the rose. In the long run the bigger pot will be more beneficial than those few roots. Be sure you have large or many drainage holes in the new pot. Roses like a lot of water but hate to have their roots sit in a pool of it in the bottom of a pot.

Sorry about your gopher problem. I don't have gophers but can empathize. Rabbits are my problem and they can eat a rose to the ground.