Spinosad

Pyrethrin spray derived from chrysanthemum.

Horticultural oil

Insecticidal soap or in some cases diluted dish soap

Copper spray

All are organic, but like most things, the lines are fuzzy and subject to debate. Where some prefer no chemicals at all and depend on rigorous soil improvements to promote vigorous plant health, some choose a little leeway.

As an interesting aside, I read last week that spray misting mildew prone plants early in the day will actually disrupt the fungal growth cycle eliminating the need for spraying. I plan to try this on a couple of pesky specimens.

What insects are you seeking to target?

Yes, Kathy, wetting down the roses' foliage daily, has worked successfully, to some degree in halting powdery mildew. Stands to reason, powdery mildew proliferates in dry, cool weather, which conditions are frequently encountered here in the 'Burgh, in the fall....dry, hot days and cool nights in autumn particularly, with no rainfall....and lookout for powdery mildew popping up.

A local Rosarian a few years back wetted down his roses' foliage every day for a week when first signs of powdery mildew appeared, and great success was reported. If my memory is correct he directed a lawn sprinkler onto the roses to do the job. The sprinkler was left on for an hour or so, not just a 1 minute and done deal.

Moses.

You have to use organic insect/disease controls very carefully, because so many are oil based and can severely damage foliage if not very carefully applied. Also, oils, including neem and insecticidal soaps kill everything they touch, good and bad insects. So lady bugs and their ravenous larvae if zapped with neem and insecticides soaps die just like the harmful insects.

Moses.

PM, can you reference somewhere that explicitly states that the Rockerfeller rose garden is organic? I've considered this an urban myth for many years now, but would love to be proven wrong. The most that I've seen them admit to is IPM.

Well, here is an article about Peter Kukielski the curator of the PRRGarden - and how he grows roses there. I didn't read the whole article but I did a lot of reading when he first arrived and was changing over the roses. They had a list online of the new disease resistant roses they were changing to.

Meet Peter Kukielski

So the urban myth is still an urban myth :(

For what it’s worth, my three year old garden gets no spray either! I can already see I will need to replace a few roses but most were chosen for health and stay looking pretty good. :)

My garden is spray free also and most of them look decent the entire season. I also have lots of perennials to cover the bare branches as needed.

I love checking out lists of gardens that are no spray. In that article linked you can click to see all the varieties in the garden and there is a Giant list of all my favorite Austin’s in the garden tracker plant that completely defoliate in my garden no spray. If that garden looks even decent after May I would also put in question the authenticity of any no spray claims.

In the middle of June here, My roses are almost done with their first flush of blooms. All the foliage looks excellent. We've had a wet spring. No evidence of any foliar disease at all. No insect damage. I think it is early for beetles, but I usually get a minor amount of orientals that are easy to hand pick. The only problem I'm having is rabbit damage. They are eating the foliage on the bottom of a couple. They seem to have their favorites.

I looked at the PRockerfeller Rose garden website...and it's changed a lot from the last time i looked at it. They used to have the entire list of every rose in the collection there, but I don't see it now.

I once had a question about a rose in the Rockefeller rose garden, so I wrote to the NYBG and the rose curator responded with a very kind and informative message. They even said to be in touch if I ever had more questions about rose care. So, if you'd like to ask about their rose list or recommended methods of pest/disease control, you could try emailing them at plantinfo@nybg.org.

I visit the Rockefeller rose garden a few times each summer and fall, and they've definitely held onto some older Austins that look like a hot mess foliage-wise by mid-summer, similar to what Prairiemoon has described. But in general, the plants look really healthy, and I've noticed they are pretty ruthless about pulling out and replacing under-performers.