@Tack do you think that would work with normal teabags if you open them up? I drink lots of tea and definitely willing to give it a go if it might help. The aphids seem to gravitate to GG! Roald Dahl and Eustacia Vye are nearby and they have some but not anything like GG.
@Marlorena what wonderful photos documenting the progress and what an incredible rose, will definitely have to put that one on the list if I can find somewhere for it to go!
I am glad I've strted recording rose data @Marlorena, Canary Bird first bloomed 17th April last year but 3rd April this. Diamond Eyes was next on 25 April 2022 but I'm not sure that will be the next one this year, Odyssey and Munstead Wood are contenders.
How many roses do you have @agnasia I found it difficult to store all the bags and then open and then apply them to all the pots..? other option would be do as Tack mentioned, i.e to apply daily as you use them.. with conflicting evidence, I get a bit worried to overdo it as well.. especially since they are in pots.. Most aphids here prefer DA to other roses... it could be due to the fact that most DAs are shrubby with many leaves at this stage compared to some others like Floribundas/ HTs..
Thanks to @WAMS my wallet is lighter.. again... WAMS posted a link to some other rose but then I went on to order Evelyn.. received a small specimen but with buds from TW
Aphids do seem to go after particular roses sometimes. Part of it will be the location, they like sheltered spots where they don’t get rained on or have to put up with strong winds. Lady of the Lake gets lots. I’ve been squishing every time I go out or come home. Whereas a few metres away, potted Desdemona and Lady Emma don’t have a single aphid between them.
I misled you being vague. I collect tea leaves in a bowl next to the sink and wander round the garden every few days dispensing them. They go attractively mouldy if left too long. Even fresh this is not a kitchen decor enhancement .
@Tack Your experience makes me want to try tea leaves to banish aphids; I'm a coffee drinker though. I don't mind buying a bag of cheapest tea leaves, boiling them and spreading the used tea leaves around. Last year I tried spraying diluted ginger and garlic paste in a soap solution and the aphids kept away for a few days and then they were back. This year, I have planted garlic in some of the rose pots, mostly to deter foxes. I'll check whether they are effective in keeping away the aphids tomorrow. I saw the first rose sawfly of this season today, caught it and squished it as I was wearing gloves.
Edited to add: plenty of rose buds forming, but it might take a few weeks for them to open; most advanced are Othello and Vanessa Bell.
Oxford. The City of Dreaming Spires.
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils (roses). Taking a bit of liberty with Wordsworth
All, the other day I posted pictures of my Olivia Austen. I said the leaves had been eaten off, and everyone thought it looked like Sawfly Larvae damage. I have been looking and looking and can find no sign of them.
I have Neem oil coming tomorrow and I plan to give it all a good spray (I assume that’s an acceptable thing to use rather than Rose Clear or something).
However tonight something struck me. It has been very windy and Olivia’s canes have all been getting caught in each other- she’s in a spot that’s quite exposed. I was separating some tonight and tore some leaves apart doing it. It struck me that perhaps that’s what’s been happening? I’ve started to find the same on my biggest GJ.
The only other evidence to the contrary is that I’ve found some buds like this…
This looks like it’s been eaten away by something.
@ciaranmcgrenera I live in a gale prone area and every Spring I will lose buds to wind.. it roars through just as the buds are developing, they are soft and tender and they get dislodged from the sockets.. one Spring the most exposed rose was totally decapitated and I lost the first flush.. It happens... with repeat flowering roses they will soon recover..
I have been collecting and mulching my roses with used teabag leaves all year. I just throw the used ones into a pot by the kitchen sink to dry out a bit, then they get transferred to a bigger pot until I have time to sit down and tear them apart. As Tack says some do get mouldy on the bottom sometimes. I do each rose in turn applying quite a thick mulch. To date I don't seem to have a big aphid problem yet, although this garden's on quite a windy slope so that might be another factor.
Posts
@Marlorena what wonderful photos documenting the progress and what an incredible rose, will definitely have to put that one on the list if I can find somewhere for it to go!
Most aphids here prefer DA to other roses... it could be due to the fact that most DAs are shrubby with many leaves at this stage compared to some others like Floribundas/ HTs..
Thanks to @WAMS my wallet is lighter.. again... WAMS posted a link to some other rose but then I went on to order Evelyn.. received a small specimen but with buds from TW
I have Neem oil coming tomorrow and I plan to give it all a good spray (I assume that’s an acceptable thing to use rather than Rose Clear or something).
However tonight something struck me. It has been very windy and Olivia’s canes have all been getting caught in each other- she’s in a spot that’s quite exposed. I was separating some tonight and tore some leaves apart doing it. It struck me that perhaps that’s what’s been happening? I’ve started to find the same on my biggest GJ.
I’m stumped.
I live in a gale prone area and every Spring I will lose buds to wind.. it roars through just as the buds are developing, they are soft and tender and they get dislodged from the sockets.. one Spring the most exposed rose was totally decapitated and I lost the first flush..
It happens... with repeat flowering roses they will soon recover..