I garden in downtown Atlanta, my garden acts easily as a zone 8 garden and it is BLAZING HOT, no shade, facing south and east. Everything does just dandy for me! Prepare soil well so it retains water, mulch very well and water when needed. I actually don't water all that frequently and everything is fine. Cowpeas, yard long beans, bush beans, lima beans, okra, malabar spinach, butternut squash, luffa, sweet and hot peppers, eggplants, various melons and tomatoes all do fine. I grow Cherokee Purple, Brandywine, sungold, green zebra, Juliette, Taxi, Jubilee, Rutgers, Marlglobe, and many more different tomatoes but these are the ones I grow pretty much every year. Most of the heirlooms I vary simply to try new tastes every year. Tip: Grow sweet peppers in the shade of tomatoes. A local farmer taught me this and it works like a charm. I've increased my pepper harvests greatly and never get any burn. Insects and disease are more challenging than that heat.

Your plants, like mine, have an infestation of Tecoma Leaf Tier. “Tier” is pronounced like tire. The worms tie the leaves up in curls. They also skeletonize the leaves, and they end up looking like clear tissue paper. The black dots are their poop. From what I’ve found, it it’s a relatively new insect. Also, from what I’ve found, they can be controlled with an organic spray called BT. BT stands for Bacillus thurengiens, but don’t trust my spelling of the full name. BT is a soil microbe that affects the intestines of worms and caterpillars. They aren’t killed on contact. They die when they eat it, so you don’t have to spray every single insect. Other insects and critters, like bees, pets and people, aren’t affected because they don’t have the intestines of a worm. For more info, Google ”Tecoma Leaf Tier.”

Voice of experience - i was sure that Henry Kelsey was dead last spring but when i dug him out, there were shoots coming from one of the roots. Looks like that baby has made it through - there are green rose leaves in the pot that's buried in the ground. I found some green on the canes of Morden Sunrise and Delicata, but most of my roses are still pretty much buried, if not in snow then in their boxes full of leaves.

Welcome : Sept. ends fertilizing Neem is more pesticide it does have fungus born disease control features to some effectivness under light conditions Backing soda dish soap mix what happens when you apply it is it elevates the PH on the leaves and midlews and fungus find an uncoftable home to grow on but it doesnt last very long at keeping a leaf PH changing Compliments to you on your rose choises and the home work you already did too carpet rose is about as easy growing as they get it will boast a very dencly packed foilage and is very winter hardy as well disease tollerant Yes it will grow new leaves its a real hardy rose I have two and I did just two days ago end of season leaf cleaned em it took 45 minutes on 2 different days ( they get bigger than that too ) I dont have any knock outs but I see enough of em to know there as disease tolerant as the carpet rose how to PREVENT mildew born and fungus born diseases has been done by many in differant manners Example I have no idea what Dr Brooners is as I use Serinade to combat these diseases as well K-neem and the backing soda dish soap idea ( yes this idea is more myth then fact I find it ineffective at best ) someone else might use dramatic K in place of serenade there both organic products I am told that dramatic K is not as harsh this disicion is up to you Theyll tell you not to water leaves. the day after it'll rain watering the roots of a carpet isnt that easy I use gloves and lift with one hand and water with the other any rose plant needs good ventilation Go figure huh I just got done saying dencely packed leaves too dont take this the wrong way as it is I only apply the following growing technics to my caprpet roses only ( I dont have any knock outs here ) and only MY CARPET roses grow this way I fertilize them from march till early sept and water em one maybe two times a week if needed during that time I bend stalks for the shape I want it to grow in. I dead head off about 4 realy nice small tree shaped flowering canes per month I will use serinade on them at the same time as my other roses I donot pluck trim or otherwise remove any leaves exept those that got dead headed untill the last fertilizing week Sept this task takes a long time to do 45 minutes a day on 2 different days and maybe one more time befor winter Yep a self tested carpet is in fact disease tolerant I am including a link for you for extra guidance on rose growing and disease information As you read it do enjoy the humorus side of Bob http://www.rose-roses.com/problems/fungi.html#rosewilt