My garden is pretty breezy, the wind whips around the mountains from all directions, I prune to open up bushes and water well and deeply at the roots. Despite all that, I’ve had bad mildew for the first time this year on some new roses. I’m putting it down to the weather. I grow organically so don’t spray, but if it persists next year, I’m going to try spraying with 50/50 milk and water as that’s supposed to work. If it doesn’t, those newbies prone to it are going as I think it looks even worse than blackspot!
As for blackspot, it’s endemic here in my often humid climate, so I just have to live with it, despite doing all the usual hygiene stuff - picking off the worst leaves, regularly clearing up underneath, spreading fresh mulch twice a year etc. In addition I remove the bottom 6” of leaves on the canes before it sets in as I’m going to lose those anyway. That theoretically helps to prevent splash up of the spores with rain.
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
'Munstead Wood'... baby own root,, 'Armada'.. lack of rain and heat caused a delay in rebloom for this rose.. 'Bengal Crimson'.. rather a collector's rose... this has gone 'own root'.. as the rootstock died earlier.. I have found previously this is a better rose on its own roots .. Aster 'Monch' in September makes it difficult for roses to compete ..
I’m having a second round of sawfly emerging, little blighters.
I’ve ordered Plaisanterie to try out and see if I have better luck. I think I prefer Mutabilis but I’ve only seen Plaisanterie in photos so not a fair comparison. Plaisanterie is supposed to be more tough I think?
I’ve been using SB Invigorator which I think must have helped as my roses are pretty clean for the most part, a rarity this time of year…
I just live with blackspot. If my roses get it early (May, June), I remove the infected leaves, but from mid-July on, not even that. It's just a part of growing roses here. Many of my roses are completely or almost completely defoliated right now. I choose disease-resistant varieties and keep them watered but that's it. I rarely see mildew, I had some last year but only on potted plants.
Photos from yesterday:
'Gertrude Jekyll' and clematis 'Kokonoe' Pheno Geno 'Mileva', lovely fragrance 'Princess Alexandra of Kent' 'Amazing Day' - very strong, very sweet, fragrance The flowers don't last long after being fully open but it takes them several days to reach that stage and they look good in the partially open stages too. Very healthy too. Unknown HT
My dahlias (all in pots) are getting mildrewed for the first time ever which is def'ly down to me not watering daily. I feel like a bad parent.
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Does anyone else get irritatd by wildly odd colour descriptions? DA describes Munstead as 'crimson'. Of all the roses that could be kind of called 'crimson' MW is not one. It's not anything remotely to do with crimson. Rosa Crimson Glory isn't anything to do with crimson either. In general, in the plant world, anything described as 'red' usually has little to do with being actually red.
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As for blackspot, it’s endemic here in my often humid climate, so I just have to live with it, despite doing all the usual hygiene stuff - picking off the worst leaves, regularly clearing up underneath, spreading fresh mulch twice a year etc. In addition I remove the bottom 6” of leaves on the canes before it sets in as I’m going to lose those anyway. That theoretically helps to prevent splash up of the spores with rain.
...the opening blooms I find the most exquisite and fragranced..
..but they hang around too long..
..a rose I find difficult to remove, but difficult to keep... it demands such frequent deadheading..
'Armada'.. lack of rain and heat caused a delay in rebloom for this rose..
'Bengal Crimson'.. rather a collector's rose... this has gone 'own root'.. as the rootstock died earlier.. I have found previously this is a better rose on its own roots ..
Aster 'Monch' in September makes it difficult for roses to compete ..
I choose disease-resistant varieties and keep them watered but that's it.
I rarely see mildew, I had some last year but only on potted plants.
Photos from yesterday:
'Gertrude Jekyll' and clematis 'Kokonoe'
Pheno Geno 'Mileva', lovely fragrance
'Princess Alexandra of Kent'
'Amazing Day' - very strong, very sweet, fragrance
The flowers don't last long after being fully open but it takes them several days to reach that stage and they look good in the partially open stages too.
Very healthy too.
Unknown HT
'Mileva'
'Amazing Day'
'Joasine Hanet/Amanda Patternote/Portland from Glendora'
Peach Vaza (not rain resistant)
Peach Melba