Kathy, I would not cut it away at this time. Let the buds open and grow and then you will know for sure if it is RRV or not. I often get shortened internode growth on the tips of canes, just like yours, at the end of the growing season when cold weather begins to set in. It is perfectly normal in my garden. I have never had RRV in my garden to date. It is rampant here in W. PA. Those foreshortened tips are pruned away at spring pruning in my garden, but for your peace of mind let the suspect growth leaf out and you will know for sure one way or another. If the growth looks normal, it is. One thing about RRV damage, it is not subtle, but very obvious. If the growth is normal, then you can proceed with spring pruning. If it is confirmed to be RRV, then the bush must be removed carefully, with as many of the roots, too. Placed securely into a large plastic bag for household pickup, you have done all you can. I would wipe down tools used with bleach. My judgement tells me your Gentle Hermione is RRV free, just end-of-season growth, not RRV. Still, it is best to be careful regarding RRV. One positive observation about the rose in your photo is that there is no stem thickening, no hyper-thorn growth, and no discolored, distorted foliage. These are good signs. It is just a wait and see situation now. Keep positive thoughts. Moses

Thank you guys so much for the compliments! I am very proud of how she turned out this year. I had some learning blues last year and she had holes all throughout her leaves from pests. I trimmed her down and she had a nice comeback before the season was over. She seems to be a tough one. This year, I was better prepared and she has started off great. I noticed some aphids, but got them under control quickly with soapy water (Dawn) spritzed on her for a couple days. I have not used any fertilizer recently. The only thing I've done is sprinkled some Blood meal over the soil in this flower bed section before laying down new mulch. I followed the directions on the bag and I did this about 6-7 weeks. Do you think this may be the reason?? Ingrid, I wish I could move her but I live in a townhouse community and this is the flower bed we are given and we are not allowed to plant things outside of our small assigned flower bed area attached to townhouse. :-( I gave her a nice drink of water today after I read about the salt thing. Should I do this daily? I will be gone for the weekend and there will be no rain. I have some day lilies that I think will bloom this year off to the right. They should be yellow with a red/orange center. So far, they seem very sturdy and have not been effected negatively by the blood meal. I forgot to mention that she gets full sun for most of the day until about 4-5pm where she starts to have some shade. Not sure if that is relevant info tot his problem.

@sharon2079 @joeywyomingzone4 Thanks guys, I was also thinking it looks like symptoms after watering too much and roots rot. but the soil looks wet because the photo was taken just after watering, before that, the plants was transplanted and watered 8 days ago, and during these 8 days, they got no watering, so I don't think the soil is too wet(during these days)?(considering the pots are not large, 8 days should be long enough for water to dry out?) Before watering I poke my fingers into the soil and at least the top 3 cm soil are totally dry.... @sautesmom Sacramento I know this brand, but most foreign plant brands are doing their business in China by using Chinese agencies, so not many people in China know Monrovia. @K S 7b Little Rock (formerly of Seattle) place for plants in China is very limited(especially in big cities), most people grow rose in balcony and we only use small pots...

I was going to say either botrytis blight or thrips. The buds in the first photo look like thrips. Watering too much, lots of humidity and rain can bring on the blight. And some roses, particularly those in light colors with many petals are appealing to the tiny insect called thrips. Once the damage has been done by thrips, there's not a lot you can do about it. In the case of botrytis, cut off the ruined blooms, and don't overwater. Diane