Considering the delicate nature of some plants, it confuses me why some people would rather experiment with household sprays rather than use what has proven to be safe. Perhaps "safe" is not the right word because it suggests something can be used ad infinitum for anything and everything. Some household materials can be used in a lot of cases. Baking soda...(bicarbonate of sodad) has been shown for use in many uses round the home....mostly with a view to cleaning. Baking soda can be used to kill pests, clean a car battery, as a general cleaner around the home and as general spray for use on plants where mildew is a problem. Baking soda, left on the surface of soil, can kill mold. There's dormant oil commonly used on outdoor trees,, shrubs and roses, but can be used effectively on houseplants. A simple test of a leaf with any such treatment, might assure the user that it is safe. Then there are the more intense household sprays..the Lysols, the bleaches, the soaps, the liquid designed to penetrate into soiled clothes prior to washing and let's not forget the material that makes the soaps work better, the 20Mule Team Borax and others of their ilk. Lysol and Listerine have definite purposes....but I have yet to see someone confirm that these materials can be used to clean or treat a leaf for whatever might affect them. I trust the user has tried the simple remedies first. Water, sprayed on by hand sprayer or hose-end, or wiped on a leaf and then wiped off and what, if any, results occurred. The water spray method has been shown to work in most initial stages of pest control. Identifying the pest of course is the key to treating for those things that attack our plants....the aphids, the whiteflies, the worms.....and so on. Spraying something for a "I think" approach can lead to bad things happening. Suggesting a problem is what is affecting a plant is not the prescribed method to cure. If a person is aware of the many causes of spots, of leaves browning, of proceeding to the drop-off stage, then they wouldn't reach for the heavy cleaner to fix the problem. Taking some of the results to heart...the browning of leaves we can come up with many causes but mostly simple reasons why it happens and we try to fix by avoidance. Overwatering, underwatering, too much sun, too little light, too much or too little fertilizer, a current of cold air from an open door or window...or a combo of any and all. We might assume that since the leaf falls off, then surely it is because it needs moisture. But the truth is any of the mentioned causes can be why they drop. Leaf spots can suggest a pest or something has attacked the leaf tissue. I would imagine putting Lysol on a leaf is not doing the leaf any good....since it does have properties of intenseness in cleaning, I can think such spray could eat at the membrane of a leaf and cause it to spot. Fungus is everywhere. Its in the air and flies around waiting for a host to land on. There are many forms of fungus...the common mushroom is one. Powdery mildew and mold are two such happenings. When we find them on materials in the home, then we don't hesitate to reach for the cleaners. But a plant leaf is not the same thing as a dank basement wall. If instead of thinking how to treat the plant, why not think of what might have brought the situation to that point. Why is the plant's leaves turning brown? What might be in or on the spot...is there a pest eating inside the leaf tissue. Why not take a needle and pierce the spot and see if anything pops up or out. How far the damage has progressed might suggest how to treat it....if it needs treating. Another reliable fix is water.....with soap added. Soap has been shown to kill a bug by suffocating it, depriving it of its ability to breathe. But soap itself can cause problems by depriving the leaf of oxygen if it clogs the pores. Therefore, a weak solution is prescribed. A 2 1/2% solution has been found to be effective on most plants' problems. 40 parts water, 1 part dishSOAP, sprayed on from top to bottom, bottom to top; left on for 10 or so minutes to do its job, then rinsed off ..with warmish water, bottom to top, top to bottom. Pest problems occur because the animal has a very short cycle of life and in most cases such cycle of egg, to larvae, to adult stage occurs in as little as a few days. Any such treatment should always be with the thought that it has to be repeated often enough to break the cycle. Such repeat treatments can be safely done 3 times within a 20 day period. That is....today, 7 days from, and again in 7 days. Then a vigil is kept to make sure the problem has not re-occurred. I realize some leaves might be too delicate for many of these suggestions but one might dampen a cloth or tissue, and holding the leaf on our palm, wipe with such as a way to clean or remove dust. A weak solution of baking soda or one with vegetable oil added, might be wiped on, wiped off.

Linda - The good news is that you live in the perfect climate to grow roses. You will not have to worry about "winter protection" from freezing temps! Do you know what kind of roses yours are? Are they stiff upright bushes 4 - 8 feet tall, with large blooms with pointed buds? If so, they are probably hybrid teas. It is important to know what kind of roses you have before you prune them, as different kinds respond best to different types of pruning. Re clippers, I love my Felco ones. They are "by-pass" ones, which mean they work like scissors. The other type is called "anvil", and tend to squash the roses. They make a version for smaller hands, which work great for me. They also make a version where one of the handles rotates, so that it is easier to use - this comes in the normal and the smaller size. You also might want to get a pair of long handled clippers - that way you can stay further away from the thorns, and they are good for larger canes. Obviously, you need good gloves made for roses, too. I am a bit confused about the aphids, as they usually come in the Spring, at least here. I would not worry about them. What I would do is what dollsandroses said - google the American Rose Society, and see if you can find the nearest local society, which can put you in touch with a Consulting Rosarian, who might be able to come and look at the roses for you, and tell you what general type they are, and then you can get specific pruning advice based on that. Good Luck! jackie

Sorry to hear about the deer. I was devistated a couple years ago when they ate mine to the ground. The best thing I have found is Deer Scram.... it costs a bit but is well worth the price. Disclaimer: I'm not promoting the product just letting you know what worked for me. I have no ties to the company. I had to add the disclaimer cause it drives me nuts seeing adds for ppl promoting their own products.

Hi Aggie...Its sad isn't it even here it has been a long hot summer with 8 weeks of over 30 degree temps and no rain to speak of Gosh even the nightime temp are in the middle twenties so I know how you feel. Mulch is your answer I have mine thickly mulched with about 30 cms of sugar cane mulch could be more mine are mostly standards so its easy to do and I can see if the mulch gets to close to the plant ...I would hate to be crawling under some of those bushes. When I only had half that much mulch on them I used to water them deeply every second day and they still dried out as they are in raised beds, but putting the thicker layer on had made so much difference. Now I only water once a week. Next month we go to watering with buckets here if we get no rain...and a WA member wrote that my roses should be able to survive on a 1/2 bucket of water a week so we will see, if I notice they are limp in the early morn or in the cool of the evening I will give them more I do realise I will probably not get any blooms but just keeping them alive is the most important thing at this time, and having a 3/4 acre block I have a lot more than roses to water but they are the most delicate of my plants I also asked advice from a Queensland Rose grower he told me to fertilize every six weeks with half the amount so I do and to use Nitrophoska Blue Special, was also told to liquid feed after a heavy shower of rain but have only done that twice over the summer as we don't get the rain..I used to feed with a Organic fertilizer but having to add a little Potassium Sulphate to it was a real pain. This remedy was for Queensland conditions so they may be different where you are. I would wait till someone from WA answers your post as they would be able to advise you better knowing more about weather and fertlizers though in any State mulching is the answer so give it a go and good luck with your roses, and I hope you get this well needed rain as much as we do......Cheers...MM.