I hope someone nearby can help you. One picture looks like BS, but it looks like it wants water. Do you have drip irrigation?

Vapor, I was thinking the same thing, but wanted confirmation from a fellow forum member. The first photo shows black spot; the soil around the rose looks very dry, I agree. Diane

Thanks for your comments, Vaporvac & Diane! I'll investigate the BS. Maybe Neem oil would help with this?

I think you are on target with the watering issue ... that GJ is getting the wrong kind of watering now! We did have a drip system that went all the way down the long garden. In May husband redid the irrigation system. Our long garden runs about 60 fee & he felt the length was too much for the water pressure. So he took out the "drips" and redid the whole system. Now it sprays from the lawn into the garden. Could that change have contributed to the BS?

Thanks to your comments, I started watering GJ with a slow drip from a garden hose at her base.

Molie

Blackspot pressure in New England is very, very high, and Austin roses are not particularly blackspot resistant. Often roses, particularly first roses, do fine their first year or two, then reality strikes. Organic mixes, with the exception of sulfur, aren't up to the challenge, and sulfur requires almost constant spraying.

Thanks for this, Mad-gallica. I will work to keep her going because I love gardening. But the bottom line is ... I'm a retired and very busy grandma and an activist, so plants do need the will to live to last in my gardens. I'll keep my eye open for Reality, should she decide to strike.

Molie

I'm sure the spray on the lower leaves from the lawn didn't help with the BS.

There are studies that say that water spraying has the effect of washing the spores off.

There are many roses that don't require chemical support in the northeast. However, except for Knock Outs and their kin, they are difficult to find at local garden centers. Rugosas, for example, sell out around here within a week of arriving.

Molie try pruning off any canes that are actually dead and after making sure she is getting a good drink of water. Then try

Specially if you don’t have hundreds of roses spraying that one shouldn’t take too much time/work and you will love the results. Most older Austins need regular spraying in the type of black spot pressure you have and none of the “organic” solutions are as long lasting or effective. I have not tried the sulfur, but neem does not work here for blackspot.

Dianela, mad_gallica and Vaporac, you all gave me advice that I'll share with my hubby and put to works.

I'm not familiar w/Disease Control and will look that up to see how it is around birds, butterflies, and wildlife because my husband attracts them all to our yard.

We did have Rugosas a long time ago but I pulled the m out because, not surprisingly, they exploded in our yard. We live on a tidal river very close to Long Island Sound.

As for the low spraying, maybe the watering needs to be done early in the say so it dries.

Thanks everyone!

Hi,

My 2 cents here. GJ does put on a lot of growth after its June flush of flowers. I had one at a previous house and it got a little of BS but so did most of my roses. I try not to water them late in the day, preferably morning so they are dry by evening. I now have one supplied with drip lines and the leaves are clean. In a book by David Austin maybe 10 years ago, he listed GJ as one of his most fragrant roses and I love it. If it gets spray-watered, put a vertical-sided glass next to it before the next watering. Then check afterwards how much was in the glass. Should get 1 inch of water a week. Good Luck with it.

Thanks for this information and he "tip" about the glass.