What rain does to roses


Previously on this blog and on Garden Rant, I have commented on what a great season for roses it's been. Can I take that back? Our great April sunshine and May rains created a floriferous crop, but now a mid-June rainy season has outworn its welcome.

Too much water on rose buds and blooms causes them to "ball", i.e., turn into sad little droopy balls. The excessive dampness can also promote diseases such as blackspot and mildew. And physically, the really hard showers simply beat the blooms into the ground. In such a case you just want to cut what you can and let it develop inside, where it's relatively safe (though our cat is also an enemy of cut flowers).

Like anything, gardening is wrought with danger and heartbreak. Many I know have given up on their first flush of roses and are hoping for better rebloom after the next sunny spell. It's a mixed blessing. I am happy not to worry about watering. But no more wine in the garden until this lets up.

Comments

Anonymous said…
My first flush of blooms were gorgeous this May. Unfortunately the weather has been iffy lately and this second batch has been a letdown.
Thank you for your great blog. I really enjoy reading it.

How do you deal with the black spot and mildew on your roses? I live in the Pacific Northwest so this is a constant problem for me. I have tried picking all the infected leaves and blooms off my plants, which is the only organic method I am aware of. For my plants, however, this generally means removing 90 to 100 percent of the leaves and blooms, so I have given up on this approach and now just try to remove the worst of it until our dry season in July and August. Do have any suggestions for better ways to deal with these problems?

You think I would get rid of my roses for all of the trouble they cause, but then that absolutely spectacular bloom happens and I'm hooked for another year...
Michael said…
So nice to stumble upon a blog authored by someone from my hometown. (I moved to Seattle in 2000.)

Here in Seattle, we have a latté stand on every corner, in Buffalo, a there’s gin mill. So I found your blog title soooo appropriate, even if you were thinking of something else!

I love flowers, but don’t grow them myself – I am eternally grateful to folks like you!

http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6123/2638/1600/508215/F%20030425%20w.jpg

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Unknown said…
I just found your blog by chance this morning and I love it! Sadly, I don't have a garden and my veggie plot has no roses, but I am currently intoxicated by the rose garden in the park near me, where I guess the biggest advantage is to be able to enjoy and not do the tending. It has been a stunning year for them - lots of rain (NO surprises there, I guess!) but also a lot of good heat as well.
So pleased I found your page.
How disappointing about your droopy rose buds. You must be getting Lots of rain. As you say you can just take comfort in knowing you don't have to be out there watering. It is always something in the garden.
Anonymous said…
Ugghh, I know how you feel. I just purchased a new rose ( called 'Neptune'), and I am HOPEING that the buds develop properly so that I can see the flowers! :)... I'll go out fith a fungacide again this evening... if it isn't RAINGING!! ughhh lol
skyblot said…
Seeing posts like this make me miss leaving Seattle to come to the horrible desert of Vegas. Nothing grows here. I hope your rebloom goes well... rain on the roses is always so poetic.
mila said…
its true all the rain is hurting the roses my sister planteed...In michigan there have been so many storms and things that most plants are actually doing well and the garden is happy but the roses ... not so much ... oh well, theres always next year? i hope anyway
the happy garden on the other hand is being eaten by happy animals... those stinkers..:)
lawremc said…
Can I trade you some Japanese beetles for some rain? While drought conditions have eased somewhat in central Alabama, we are still in a stage 2 drought.
Lavinia said…
Oh dear, we've had a lot of rain too....my dahlia's aren't liking it either.

Your roses and photos on your blog are exquisite.....
amuse me said…
I agree with you -- and I have some miniature roses that are trying to survive. I'll post pictures on my blog if they endure the weather, as it were.
Stephanie said…
i love roses i so wish they would grow here
Patricia said…
Gosh, I envy you all that rain. We're hot and dry here in Texas. (It's 100 degrees today) and about 7" below average rainfall.
I'm experimenting with a homemade organic remedy for blackspot on my roses. It's seemed to help, and though it doesn't prevent every single leaf from being infected, it is keeping enough leaves on the plants for them to give me plenty of blooms. They may not look like show roses, but I'm happy with what I'm getting! I do have to respray every few weeks AND after rain:
1 cup fat free milk
1 cup water
1 to 2 tsp. baking soda
1 T. cooking oil
Good squirt of liquid dish detergent
Put in small spray bottle and shake well.

(I don't always get the measurements the same each time, so you may have to experiment a bit.) Spray on top and under the leaves. Good Luck!! Patricia
chumly said…
I love wildflowers.
Rhonda said…
I just stumbled upon your blog and fell in love with it. I'm a quilter, recently retired and just started a garden. Flowers are my next project...next year.
EAL said…
Hi all,

As for blackspot and mildew, my suggestion is to stay away from hybrid teas! The old roses and David Austin roses, as well as some hardy, disease-resistant hybrids can perform better in some situations. Otherwise, I would plant garlic and other plants among the roses, and give them lots of room for air circulation.
Anonymous said…
Blackspot on roses?
Try one of the following..
Dust roses infected with black spot with sulfur powder.
Sulfur will not kill the fungus spores, but it will prevent a new generation from germinating.
Spray a solution of 1 tsp. baking soda mixed in 1 qt. warm water in the early morning hours.
Spray roses with a dormant oil when plants are dormant (usually in winter).
Hope this helps..
Wonderful blog,
I am pleased I found you..
Larktavia said…
I have about 15 rose bushes that were planted by the old ladies that lived here before me. All of them are nice except one. It's a coral colored rose that never has once opened in the 12+ years I have lived here. It gets fat buds and then they get droopy and die. I don't have this problem with any of the other roses. Even when it's nice and dry out with lots of sun, the rose buds will never open. Do you think I should just uproot the bush and start over with something different? I live in Berkeley, CA.
Your roses may not be liking all the rain but I bet your lilies are loving it! I have no roses in my garden but there are several ramblers that I see on my daily route and they all make me smile.

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