Sumognat You are on the right path. I live in Delray Beach. The thrips here are 11 months a year. I have discovered the hard way that if you spray chemicals for disease you will have major thrip problems. It kills the beneficial insects that eat the thrips. On the other hand if you don't spray for disease the roses are a diseased mess. So it's a pick your problems situation. I have discovered that if you go with old roses that are disease resistant you can have beautiful roses without disease or without insect damage, atleast it is mimimal. I would highly recommend the china rose, Vincent Godsiff. It stays small and blooms it's head off 12 months a year. My Don Juans, grafted on fortuniana are about the only modern roses that haven't bit the dust with disease. Best of luck.

This thread is a year and a half old and is about a seed offer that is no longer active. You may want to actually start a new thread on your question. It would be more appropriate and far less confusing. Just a suggestion. I would have just sent you an e-mail but you didn't seem to have one on your member page.

Might alternately be 'little leaf notcher' which looks similar. They fly. If you disturb one, it will immediately drop and fly away as it nears the ground - usually to the underside of a nearby leaf, so they're difficult to spot. UF article: http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/orn/sri_lankan_weevil.htm Sri Lankan Weevil on Left, Little leaf Notcher on Right: I smash 'em w/ my fingers.

I have no information on growing them from seed, as I purchased my plants from local Indian grocery shops in NJ. They are generally available from May into July. I can tell you that once you do have the plant, they are easy to propagate as they readily send out suckers that may be separated from the mother plant. Maybe you can also purchase the establish plant in the UK from Indian markets.