I just moved into a foreclosed house and have been trying to care for the many rosebushes planted there (though I've never done gardening in my life). The red and pink ones along the driveway are gorgeous right now, so it seems I'm doing something right. But these white roses planted all along our front wall, of which there are many, always seem to look ratty and gross. They are always covered in bugs (though I spray them), they seem especially susceptible to a chalky white fungus on the leaves, and most of the roses themselves are often brown and look dry and dead. They are smaller roses, white in color and grown in little clumps. How do I prevent them from looking brown so much? Am I really supposed to trim off every brown one by hand (it would take FOREVER, there's so many on each bush), or is there another way to take care of these? Any tips? I have no clue! Also, what kind do you think they are? See pics: White roses in planter ( photo / image / picture from imagardennewbie's Garden ) Closeup of brown parts ( photo / image / picture from imagardennewbie's Garden ) Ick ( photo / image / picture from imagardennewbie's Garden ) Fungus on the leaves...due to sprinklers? ( photo / image / picture from imagardennewbie's Garden )
I have to admit the dead rusty roses don't look very appealing,..most roses bloom,..go through a progress of maturing,..reaching full bloom and then the petals fall off and you are left with the rose hip/seed pod,..but to see roses rusting like yours would mean they are dying before their time!,..i would suggest a good feed of rose fertilizer,..and a helping hand to rid the bushes of dead or unhealthy roses and leaves,..also a good spray to rid yourself of bugs,fungus,rust,you can get an all-in-one container.
I second Philip's advice. I also noticed a white (reflective) wall behind the roses. How hot is it where you are in California? It may be that they are heat stressed on top of everything else. They certainly aren't getting much air circulation, which adds to the fungus/mildew problem. If they were my roses, I'd take care of them as Philip suggested, cut them back by 1/2 in the fall, and move them. Putting white roses against a white wall seems rather bland to me. I am not sure of the rose's name, but the type of rose is polyantha, I believe. There are other plants that could do well in that situation, but roses aren't one of them, I fear.
Yeah, I wish they were red or something more striking, white looks kind of boring against the white wall, I agree! What time in Fall is the best time to cut them way down?
Our climate and yours are quite different, so please take that into consideration. You may want to double check with a reputable, owner-operated nursery near you. I cut roses back in December when daytime temps are in the 50's or lower, and nighttime is at or just above freezing. That prevents a flush of growth that gets cold-nipped. In addition to shortening the roses bushes, I take out any large canes (about the size of your thumb or forefinger) and any that are rubbing against each other. Sharp pruners are a necessity, since chewing off the canes leads to disease. I hope you can save these roses. In a different site, they can be lovely for you.
http://scvrs.homestead.com/index.html This is an excellent site for roses, and since it is also in California, they may have more help. This is just the homepage, it has much to offer. http://www.davidaustinroses.com and http://www.antiqueroseemporium.com are two more really good sites for roses.
Hi imagardennewbie, i fully agree with marlingardener,..its important to find out the time in your area to do a heavy pruning. You can decide between now and then,..are you able to relocate those roses,..or paint the wall a different colour,..with a new location or a different colour background you would have a lovely display. Between now and then work on the Mildew,..and feed the roses,..they will reward you in the end.
Cool, thanks everyone. I sprayed them with the Bayer 3-in-1 stuff and they seem to be perking up a bit. I also discovered that they weren't getting watered properly...the sprinklers in the planters weren't working, so the only water they were getting is spray from the lawn! No wonder they didn't look good...I installed a drip system, hopefully it'll help them out a lot now.
Thank you for the update on your roses. More water, a bit of TLC, and they are responding--good news! It is so nice to hear how things turn out.
