About your other question, I think Chamblee, Roses Unlimited or David Austin are all first-rate nurseries and I would not hesitate to order from any of them. My personal preference is for Roses Unlimited, but I don't know if I have a good reason for that preference. I just love opening their boxes and seeing the roses already in bloom. On the other hand, I have to wait until after mid-May to get them--which is 3-4 weeks later than I usually plant, at the latest, my other roses. It is very upsetting to discover RRD in your garden--it's happened three different times in a three year period in my gardens, but fortunately only one plant per year--but still, that is upsetting. I'm no RRD expert, but I don't think you need to worry very much about plants close by "catching" the disease. If the wind blew the mites off of the roses that got RRD, it probably blew those tiny, tiny critters half-way into the next county, not a couple feet away to the next rose. At least in my garden, the roses near by the infected rose never exhibited RRD symptoms. The next year when another rose came down with RRD, it was way on the other side of the back yard. Same thing with the third year when a third rose broke out in symptoms--way far away from the two previous ones. I don't know where my disease-causing mites are blowing in from since I live in the middle of a small town, but I'm assuming it is from the wild stuff growing outside of town, not from other roses in my garden--since I immediately get rid of any infected rose in my garden. As the other posters noted, spraying will not help the problem. As upsetting as RRD is, I think you should just go ahead with your garden plans, assuming everything will be all right--since there is not much you can do about RRD other than destroying the infected plants. Good luck. Kate

I don't remove anything, I don't add anything, I use the same soil. I amend the entire bed by top dressing with manure in the fall. I don't do anything to the holes except add a handful of super phosphate in the hole when planting.

Concerning the rose family subtopic, the following may be of interest: The following article appeared in the 1960 Canadian Rose Annual pages 69-70. Of interest are the several crosses of roses with other members of the Rosaceae family. For educational use only. This copy was made with a scanner. It is possible that critical errors could have been introduced. Please obtain a copy of the original before utilizing in experiments/articles. Although the crosses at that time were sterile, it is possible that with modern techniques such as chromosone doubling fertile plants could be made. Title: Hybridizing Limitations Author: Roy E. Shepherd, Medina, Ohio "It is somewhat difficult to realize that the Rose family (Rosaceae) contains approximately 100 widely distributed and diversified genera of trees, shrubs and herbs. It includes among others, and in addition to roses, such well known and dissimilar subjects as the Spirea, Blackberry, Raspberry, Plum, Peach, Apple and Strawberry. Modern botanists have attempted to place a few of these in other families or to establish entirely new ones, but their endeavors have not been universally accepted. Plant breeders have also made numerous attempts to cross different genera of the family in the hope that distinct and valuable plants may result, but nothing of great importance has been produced. Improvement within a genus has been accomplished, however, by crossing one member with another and to these endeavors we must credit the great variety of apples, roses, etc., that we grow to-day. There is considerable evidence to support the thought that Nature has created several inter-genera hybrids in the past, but man's accomplishments in this field have been comparatively few. Many persons believe that the nectarine, for example, resulted from a man made cross of the peach and the plum, but it is more probable that it is a sport, or mutation, of the peach as nectarine seeds often produce peach trees and vice versa. Although several members of the Rose family have genital organs of similar anatomy Nature has established certain laws that prevent their inter-breeding. Were it not for these restrictions we might have a conglomerated assortment of freak plant material with little practical or esthetic value. On the other hand, there are many combinations that could give us something worth while if they could be effected. Perhaps, however, we should be satisfied with the rose as we now enjoy it, and not anticipate an apple tree bearing rose blossoms or a rose bush on which the blooms were followed by large luscious peaches. In all seriousness though there is a distinct possibility that science may eventually find means of effecting crosses that have failed previously, and inter-genera crosses within the Rosaceae group may become a reality. They should at least be interesting. The writer has succeeded in budding a rose on to an apple branch and in crossing a rose with a member of the blackberry family, but the bud remained dormant and the seeds did not germinate. Dr. J. H. Nicolas, formerly Research Director for Jackson and Perkins, was more successful as he raised three seedlings of a cross between an apple and a rose. They were similar to the latter in general appearance but showed evidence of apple influence in the bark, foliage, and in the peculiarly colored double apple-like blossoms. The latter, incidentally, were somewhat similar to those produced by Bechtels Crab but not as well formed or as large. The plants were barely remontant and after blooming they were inactive until fall when a second spurt took place. Further experience with Rose x Apple and Rose x Hawthorn crosses gave similar results and all proved to be sterile. They were therefore valueless for use as parents in further breeding along this line. Yes, Nature is quite insistent that man does not make 'hash' of her children, and perhaps we should be content with the beautiful supply of plant material she has given us. The ever-present challenge to create plants that are distinct from all others is so great, and intriguing, that man will probably continue to attempt crosses that now seem almost impossible; and who can say that he will not eventually succeed? Unfortunately plants have a tendency to transmit undesirable characteristics more readily than they do the desirable ones, and these hoped for inter-genera hybrids would probably produce blooms and fruits of inferior quality. Insofar as roses themselves are concerned we still possess considerable unexplored possibilities within the genus. There are 333 somewhat distinct species of roses recorded in Modem Roses V, and but eight of these have contributed to the major types of garden roses. Surely the other 325 have some potential and this should undoubtedly be explored before we spend time on intergenera exploration."

The virus, unless it was in the graft, comes onto the foliage through mites. It works its way down the cane to the bud union, or roots in that case. No I just got rid of the whole thing, and am still looking for the smaller roots. I really dont think the hairy roots are that much to worry about, but its hard to get all the roots. In my case it was not in the grafted canes yet. If it is an old rose, you might want to replace soil anyway. The concern about roots might be that multiflora can grow from a small root, and many grafted roses in the NE and Canada are on multiflora. Every body is trying to go own root as much as possible because of the infection in MF.