Many of my early BPR blossoms balled this year, and my rose is mature. In any spring, the first, terminal bud is especially bad at balling and I often just snap it off, which gives the other flowers in the cluster a chance to develop. This year, there were many more buds that didn't open, but Sacramento's spring was unusually wet and cool. Last year, the foliage was a mess on my BPR, at least the first set of leaves. They were almost covered in black, and reminded me of what others here call "damask crud." Was it only black spot, or perhaps anthracnose? I have no idea. New, clean growth came later in the season. This year, oddly enough, its foliage was much better. HPs and HTs got terrible cases of black spot and rust in the cemetery, but roses at my house, five miles away, really didn't. I do not understand roses. I keep learning, and think that I've finally figured things out, and then they do something else that I don't expect. Anita

Rosefolly (or others), I completely agree. Unfortunately, most of the methods I've tried so far don't work so well and I still have a few "mystery roses" that I can't move out of the pot ghetto until I know what they are. Do you have a reliable method? I've tried using wooden popsicle sticks, purchased tags, writing on the pot, writing on plastic eating utensils and maybe something else. The only thing I've found so far that seems to work is putting a felt letter on top of the dirt in the pot and keeping a list of what letter goes with which rose. I could use some help with trying to avoid all the mysteries in the future. Thanks.

Also wanted to chime in on Bordeaux Mix—been using it for years, in extreme cases of disease as a winter spray. Teas made of high silica-based plants (I use lemongrass, because it grows like weed here) also help with disease, preventatively. I use this tea (often adding comfrey & seaweed for nutrients) in warm months. This is how I’m growing my fruit trees and have just added my roses to the tea gang when I noticed the roses sitting under the apples were the cleanest. Paul Neyron seemed to love the heat & humidity, was very prolific, and was intoxicatingly fragrant. For a little baby plant in a 1 gallon pot, he held up his giant blooms loud and proud above all the other babies. He also held his gorgeous pink shade in about 9 hours of sunlight. He’s still in a pot, but going into the ground in the next week or so, so I’ll update on how he likes that later. :-)

@roseseek and @judijunebugarizonazn8 - The pepper tree that is most invasive for me is the "Brazilian Pepper". The nearest one to my yard is several houses up the street, yet I keep getting seedlings starting to grow in my wetter areas. If i find them soon enough they are easy to remove. Unfortunately, I have one that has made it's home in my "Sombreuil/ Colonial White" rose that is on my hill. I keep cutting it back even under the soil but it comes back as strong as ever. I'm afraid to be too ruthless with it as to damage the rose's roots - aaargh! I have two "California Peppers" planted on my hill and I much prefer their lax, weeping form to the Brazilian. Alas, they are not propagating themselves... And - yes- I blame the BIRDS - eating the peppers and pooping the seeds in my yard!