First, stop spraying. Leaves turning black and looking burned sounds like cold damage. Did it get cold overnight? Or did the damage happen after you sprayed?

I wouldn't move any bushes at this time, especially if they are stressed. If you can take pictures of the damaged leaves, that might help.

I've never seen leaves turn black/burned looking here because of cold weather. When the leaves were still green. Did you spray oil based products or fertilizer on them during your real hot weather?
Yea, a pic would help.

No, no fertilizer on the leaves. The only oil based product was horitcultural oil and I did that after they started shriveling and turning black. It hasn't been cold at all, quite the opposite, we had three days in the 90's last week. It's been a crazy Spring though, we did have one night of frost but that was two weeks ago and before the Constance Spry even leaved. I will try to take a picture and post again. Thank you.

Please tell me it isn't fatal. They're in shade right now, but hopefully these will give you an idea.

The worst damage is on the Constance Spry:

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And this is what the early damage looks like. The leaves start to pucker and they're just not the fresh bright spring green anymore. This is from one of the Queen of Sweden's:

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Thanks so much for any advice.

I have no idea what that is, maybe some can help you out.
How much direct sun do they get per day?

It looks just like damage from a liquid fertilizer such as Miracle Grow, that was applied at too high a concentration and hit the leaves. Sometimes those hose attachment fertilizer mixers don't work so well when the whole packet of Miracle Grow is put in them. The first few lots of water are usually at much too high a concentration and will burn the leaves.

If you didn't spray liquid fertilizer and this isn't over-fertilization damage, then I'm stumped, because it matches it exactly.

I did not spray fertilizer.

I did feed them with some rose food at the roots. Is it possible I did too much? I can perhaps still brush it away, it's pelletized food.

Did your neighbors or landscapers etc. spray anything that could of drifted on to your roses?
What type of fertilizer? And how did you apply? How old are your roses?

No. we have large lots, that didn't happen either.

The Constance Spry is just one year old. The Queen of Sweden just shy of that, about 10 months or so.

I didn't measure the David Austin rose food, but I didn't think I over did it either. I used what I thought was a light hand. Spread it around the base with some compost. It's only rained twice since...

Okay. Let's assume that's what happened, I used to much rose food at the roots. It's hard to believe but that appears to perhaps be the case. What can I do? Anything?

I'm not now sure what the damage is (for starters, like the_morden_man I'd like to know if you've been spraying the roses with a foliar fertilizer), but I can assure you this is not spider mite damage. Generally speaking the feeding damage caused by spider mites doesn't include puckering. (The feeding damage of some species of thrips causes puckering on new growth, but to the best of my knowledge none of the thrips that cause such damage feed upon roses.)

Spider mites suck the chlorophyll out of leaves (especially young ones), so when your roses are infested with spider mites you will know it because the leaves stay the same shape as before (although they might be stunted in size), but turn a dull green, or even a slightly bronzy green. When you look up really close at those leaves you can see why. It's because there are lots of little spots on the leaves that are white where they should be green. The mites have sucked the chlorophyll out of those leaf cells.

The other giveaway to a spider mite infestation is that when you look up close at these dull green, slightly bronzy (young) leaves you can see very fine webbing on or around the young leaves.

Finally, in the eastern USA spider mites really, really love HOT humid weather. They're a summer problem. (In the Philadelphia area they really show up in July & August, when the daily highs are regularly at least 85 degrees, particularly when those summer months have a drought going on.) In our part of the country springtime is usually a bit too early for a big spider mite infestation.

In my experience, the pictures you've posted aren't consistent with spider mite damage, and given the time of year I'm not surprised by that.

This happened to my Chrystal Fairy roses a few years ago. I accused my husband of overspray of weed killer. He swore he didn't spray anywhere near the roses. I cut the branches down below the black area. They did recover over the summer. Never did find out what caused it. We are on a couple of acres, so no neighbor's spray either.

It's probably not the rose food. Wow! baffling!

The David Austin rose food is a slow release organic fertilizer, so, it's not that.

Good grief. What on earth can it be? They were so beautifully healthy just two weeks ago. I guess there's nothing I can do but wait and see? Heartbreaking.

Maybe vandals could of sprayed something on them?
Let us know how you make out with them. Best of luck!

I'm sorry you're having such problems with your roses. If these were my roses, I would make sure they're well watered and I would watch and wait. This is probably the hardest advice to follow, especially since we are programmed to 'do' something to fix a problem. I get the feeling that your rose has had too much done to it already, and it needs to rest and recouperate.

Our spring here in Virginia has been one of great temperature swings. Even though everything looks all leafed out and ready for summer, it's still pretty early.

Sit, and wait, and let us know what happens.

Connie
another VA rose gardener

I would still wonder if some of the problem had to do with wide-fluctuating temps in the spring (not winter cold damage, but sudden dips down to freezing after the spring growth has begun). That sudden dip to freezing doesn't automatically show up the next day or two, but seems to sometimes affect the next set of leaves that trying to grow. Spring damage from late freezes sometimes doesn't show up until summer when the rose starts having trouble reblooming and thriving after its spring burst of growth/bloom.

I'd be tempted to cut off some of that ugly growth, checking to make sure the pith in the center of the cane is white. If not, it has suffered some kind of winter or late-freeze problem, and needs to be trimmed back until you find white pith.

Once or twice I've had a bit of the problems you are describing, but I don't remember doing anything special for the plants, so I guess they just outgrew the problem. However, this time of year, I usually attribute most problems to widely fluctuating temps of spring.

Good luck.

Kate

Thanks all,

Connie, I think that is what I'm going to do, not really much else I can to but wait and hope. I think the Queen of Swedens will be fine. But the Constance Spry I think will be defoliated. That poor rose is probably in the wrong place anyway, it's only getting 4-5 hours of morning sun, and the last couple of hours are quite dappled. Perhaps a New Dawn will be better.

I'm not a patient person by nature. Gardening is good for me in that way. Here's yet another exercise in patience I'll need to undergo.

Thanks all. I tell you what, if ever a rose was going to have issues from temperature fluctuations, this Spring would be the one to have them in.

Ivette

It looks weather related or spray damage to me. Since it's still early I would prune it off a bit. Lots of water..Let us know okay?

I don't think it can be spray damage since I didn't spray it until the problem arose in the first place. I also thought Hort oil was supposedly very gentle. I may have made it worse with the Neem spray yesterday for sure. They don't seem any worse today, but they're not any better either. Will be patient and hope for the best. I hope it is weather damage and they just recover.

Last year, some bug completely defoliated that poor brand new Constance Spry while I was away on vacation. Now, this year, this. I can't tell if it's not flourishing because of that, or because it's just not in the right place. I'll give it another year to see. The last Constance Spry's I had in a previous home, that were situated facing east, grew like weeds. This one faces Northeast.

Thanks again everyone.

it DOES look like fertilizer damage to me. You may have accidently sprinkled some granular on the leaves (I have done it) or if a spreader got used on the lawn, it could have sprinkled them as well. That happened to me recently when my yard guy decided to fertilize my front walking area for so me reason (its 10x20) with a broadcast spreader....not sure WHAT he was thinking.

I don't think you need to be so alarmed. It doesn't look like a pest or disease. It looks like some "hot" chemical like bleach or urea fertilizer somehow got on the leaves, but whatever it is, they should grow through it.

Do not apply oil sprays for an undiagnosed problem, much less twice in a short time. Oils will burn foliage in hot weather.

Be sure never to exceed labelled doses of fertilizer and do spread the dose over a reasonable area. Don't apply two fertilizers overlapping in time if they both contain nitrogen. But this doesn't look like normal fertilizer burn.

I believe it is a combination of too much fertilizer, and spraying with the horticultural oil. Water it well and wait as stated by Connie and others. Don't spray the oil anymore. It stays on the leaves and when it does get hot the leaves will burn. You might have a little of "spring dwarf" disease which will go away once the temps get higher at night.
Good luck and don't worry.

That's what my first thought was using the oil and the rose being subjected to the hot sun. The sun probably burnt some of the leaves with the oil on them.

pirula mentioned that slow release fertilizer was applied to the soil only and not on the foilage and the oil based products were sprayed on after the leaves were already damaged.

In zone five, I see this after a cold snap after they have leafed out. I pinch off the leaves and they are fine.

I've seen damage like this when roses were sprayed with oil, and the temperatures rose suddenly.
I've seen foliage burn from this at 75 degrees, it she change was sudden, and the sun intense.
And if the plants were immature and fertilizers were used, that might have a similar effect.

FWIW, Jeri in SoCal

I had the same thing last spring. It wasn't from spraying or feeding either, because last spring I totally neglected the gardens. I thought that was why the leaves looked like that. I guess I will wait & see what happens this year. Sorry I can't be at all helpful!

You all kindly asked for an update:

The roses are fine. They seem to have recovered well, the black shriveled parts came off and there's no new damage. It clearly was related to the ridiculously unseasonally hot days we had a couple of weeks ago. I've watered them well as you all recommended and it appears to have worked. So thank you again.

The Queen of Swedens are happy as clams, but the Constance Spry will definitely need to be moved. Due to growth of a new tree, and my own poor choice of location, it doesn't get but 2 solid hours of sun a day, the rest is extremely dappled or just deep shade. It produces leaves, but not a single new cane and it's just not flourishing/thriving.

What is the best time to move a rose please? I've found an ideal location, but will wait patiently for a good time, particularly considering the recent stress. So, in the Fall?? Next early Spring?

Thank you!

To tell the truth, I move roses whenever I decide to--although it is better to wait until they are dormant (late winter/early spring). First, go dig your new big hole (with whatever amendments you may want) and then dig in a circle around the rose, getting as deep as possible (water the rose very well the day before, or the digging will be almost impossible). Save as many roots as possible. If the rootball/rose is large, you may need to drag it on a large piece of canvas to its new location. Plant as usual, backfilling the hole 2/3s full with dirt, then flood that hole with water twice. Finish up the planting and provide it with some shade for the next week (lawn chair over it, for instance), also keeping a close eye on it so that it doesn't dry out. In about a month, it will hopefully be moving right along. Don't feed it before that.

Good luck. Oh, you might prune the rose back a bit.

Kate