Last year two 'sports' took off running and were 6 feet long before I could get out there to cut them back. This year there are 5 sports that I just haven't cut back yet and I don't know if I will or just dig up the bush. It had some gorgeous blooms on it in early Spring and was doing great. A photo of it taken in late April shows loads of healthy leaves and several buds. May was busy and with the hotter weather I didn't get out in the garden as often as usual. I found another photo of some Daisies that are growing near it, taken on June 1st and I was concentrating on the Daisies that at the time I didn't notice until just now, that the Blue Girl was bare and dying. And this is what I found left of my Blue Girl rose bush. Blue Girl Gone ( photo / image / picture from toni's Garden ) There are no leaves left on the older part of the bush and all those stems are either dead or dying, the leaves are lying on the ground under it and there are no holes from critters and I found nothing crawling or munching on the stems or sports. The sports have not been affected yet and the Mr. Lincoln and the Radrazz Knock-out are doing fine. I did notice that the first blooms of each Spring have had brownish edges but once the blooms opened they looked fine and the later blooms were fine. Any ideas? We will be pulling it up since the stems that the sports are growing from are also dying so the sports don't have a chance. But I am wondering if I need to treat the soil with something before planting anything else in there. I have another Knock-out rose that needs a home and since the other Knock-out is showing no signs of trouble I think it will replace the Blue Girl.
I get black spot bad on some of the Roses some years. They drop all their leaves and look just like yours. But they always grow back. I make sure to pick up every single leaf and throw in the garbage. Do not compost those leaves because the spores will survive. I would fertilize yours to encourage new growth. Roses also like banana peels.
Toni, I think your diagnosis correct--the rose is moribund. I don't know about treating the soil, but I sure wouldn't plant another rose in that exact spot. Perhaps some of the wildflowers you recently got at a relative's field?
Netty, the Freedom Hedge roses seem to just live to have Black Spot so every summer I have to cut them way back and they start putting out new growth that looks great for the rest of the growing season. And all the debris from them goes into the trash for sure. Jane, I checked it out again last evening, more of the stems are black so I guess it's time to pull it up. And I found several baby big-a**ed Cosmos coming up under it so I think they will take the spot for this year. Thanks for the help gals.
Welllllll, the Blue Girl rose came back like Gang Busters this Spring. Lots of buds opening. AND the two sports are covered with leaves and buds...but those buds are red. So the Blue Girl bush rose was grafted onto a red climbing rose. I didn't get it moved to a trellis so that will have to wait until next fall.
Do you rotate the soil year after year on your plants. I use to have this flower that came up every year in the same spot and now that it does I imagine it is because there is not enough nutrients in the soil there to support its life.
The rose bushes have been in that spot for about 5 years, I top dress with compost but no rotating of soil. There are three bushes in that bed and only the Blue Girl has had any problems, so I don't figure it's the soil.
It sounds to me like it may have reverted to the rootstock, which might be Dr. Huey. https://duckduckgo.com/?q=dr.+huey+...flickr.com/7/6187/6105500656_21cfb2a8d4_z.jpg
Yeah, the two sports are definitely coming from the rootstock. The Blue Girl stems are producing the Blue roses and the sports are producing really dark almost burgundy color roses. They look exactly like those Dr. Huey photos. Thanks much for letting me know what the rootstock is. Now I have two roses in one
