This is a high rust year for me. I'm seeing it on all the plants that only get it once in a while. As for PM, I grew Mrs B R Cant years ago and it did get PM. Actually, many of the teas and chinas I tried got PM, the tea-noisettes less so.

Rosefolly

So sorry, Ingrid. Hopefully, like Rosefolly said, this is just an unusual year. I wish I knew what to tell you to do. Maybe a bottle of Bayer Advanced spray (not the the 3-in-1) would get it under control this year and then next year won't be so bad. We don't have rust, so i don't know what I'm talking about. :)) Plus she's young and maybe more susceptible than she will be when she's older. Hopefully, someone will tell you the right thing to do.

Mine is in almost complete shade but it's still blooming a little.

Sherry

Here is a link that might be useful: If only sweat were irrigation...

Ingrid, I am sorry to hear that about your Mrs. B. R. Cant, especially since this rose is supposed to be very healthy. Just want to let you know that I am seeing rust on my two 'Pierre de Ronsard' roses in the moment, too, and two of my 'Our Lady of Guadalupe' roses seem to have downy mildew, which is really the worst rose disease in my opinion, aargh... I guess we are having a year with weather where rose diseases simply thrive.

I am with Sherry. I would wait and sit it out, hopefully your Mrs. B. R. Cant gets over it as it matures and/or the weather is changing again and there will be not that much disease pressure.

Christina

Here is a link that might be useful: Organic Garden Dreams

That's a head-scratcher. Mine has never shown rust, though it defoliated from black spot a month or so ago. Tough, tough rose, so I would just wait it out, because the flowers are so worth it.

This is just one of those screwy years.

No rose should be judged on this spring's performance in SoCal at least. Or at least, so I think.

Jeri

Well, it sounds as though I should just ignore the disease symptoms and hope for better times. That's fine with me since there's no way I'm giving up on this rose. I'm glad to hear it's a very tough rose. It has a long way to go before it reaches maturity, and yes, this has been a screwy year. The cool weather and all that rain have actually been great for my roses overall and they've grown quite a bit. I'll just have to hold Mrs. Cant's hand for a while to get her through this. Thanks everyone!

Ingrid

I have a rust question. I now have many hollyhocks from seeds I planted a few years ago and they are reseeding. The past 3 years, they have been afflicted with horrible rust. It doesn't spread to my roses (someone on GW said it's a different rust and would not affect the roses). But will the spray I use on my roses prevent it? I use the Bayer and it does say it controls rust. Just wondering if because it's not the rose rust if that matters. It's just so horrible to look at.

I've heard that many of the hollyhocks suffer from rust but it seems to me there are some improved cultivars that do much better. If I'm right, why not try those rather than using possibly toxic chemicals? I don't mean to offend but I truly believe in using plants (and that includes roses) that do well for you rather than having to have a spray regimen which is ultimately harmful to the environment. I don't have a huge disease problem but have had to discard many roses which couldn't stand my dry heat. I'm now left with roses that do well in my conditions and that is such a satisfying feeling.

Ingrid

And, to expand on Ingrid's suggestion -- we've also given up many plants that for one reason or another just weren't meant to live here. The secret is finding plants that give your garden the elements you want, and which do it without chemical dependency.

I got so annoyed with the Sainted Graham Stuart Thomas a while back that I heaved the book I was reading across the room. The list of plants without which (he insisted) no garden can be complete was pretty much made up entirely of things that won't grow well here for one reason or another.

My garden will just have to be "complete" filled out with plants that tolerate alkaline/saline conditions and long periods without rain.

If a plant rusts here most of the time, or mildews here most of the time, or is chlorotic on the water we can give it -- it just can't stay here.

As they say in the Carl's Jr. ad: "That's just the way it is."

Jeri (in a SoCal Coastal Desert)

This IS a bad year for diseases. In the Santa Clarita Valley, I found rust on Dortmund and Iceberg yesterday. I've NEVER seen that on either of those roses. Whatever the reason, our weather is changing. I pray it's a temporary cycle. I remember years, not that long ago, when it was in the hundreds in the San Fernando Valley by this time. It's twenty-five degrees cooler and quite humid. Perfect for rust and black spot. Kim

ingrid, well I already spray my roses. I would not be able to grow roses here without spraying. Maybe I could have a few, but not the amount I do have. I had no idea that hollyhocks even got rust or what it was. That's why I was wondering if it's similar to the rose rust and could be controlled with the Bayer spray. I planted these seeds years ago and am just now starting to get good reseeding and two of the colors are very nice. I'd hate to just trash them.

Unfortunately, hollyhocks, zinnias, snapdragons and plenty of other necessary color plants rust like crazy around these parts. I understand that it's not types that can infect roses, but it's ugly, period. I grow hollyhocks in other gardens and simply keep the lower leaves picked off when they look like dreck. It helps air flow, allows me to keep the weeds down, eliminates snail hiding places and makes them more palatable. Here, I tucked in a lavatera Kew Rose so I could have the look of hollyhocks without the rusty leaves. It's crammed between two enormous English roses which are so entrenched it would require knocking out the privacy wall and bringing in a backhoe, so I just put up with them. The lavatera flowers nearly year round, except when I hack it back to prevent it from eating the other plants also crammed in with them and nothing seems to bother it. I can't grow the other annuals because the soil drains too quickly and the moles keep them sufficiently disturbed so they just wither. They don't seem to bother the cupheas, giant alyssum, assorted bulbs or other things which have volunteered. Kim

Gophers have never bothered our 2 camellias, and there are a couple of little lily-things that come back every year, which gophers don't bother. Nor do they seem interested in Irises, and I only WISH some of them would sample brugmansias and die.
Maybe it's because, with all these rose roots to chew on, they don't have to look for other things.

Jeri

Kim, it's funny you should mention Iceberg. As I was deadheading Burgundy Iceberg this morning what should I find but a leaf covered with rust. I'm just going to accept that this year is totally weird and unusual things are happening.

buford, I can totally understand that you wouldn't want to get rid of plants you've raised from seed just when they're starting to make a good show. Perhaps Kim's method of picking off the lower leaves would work for you. I wish you luck.

Ingrid

My Iceberg had rust badly this year. It has now dropped all of those leaves and leafed out again. Weird.
Renee

I agree with those people who think the rust has gotten its opportunity with the unusual weather. I've seen rust in my garden just once, and that was one year when we had five weeks of rain in May and June, when the weather is normally turning dry and hot. 'Zephirine Drouhin' rusted like crazy. She dropped her infected leaves, grew back healthy ones, and has been fine ever since (that was three years ago). Your rust sounds to me like an aberration.
Melissa

I have a few new HH that have popped up and don't have rust - yet. So I'll try the removing the lower leaves on them and next year. I have the HH mostly in the rear of the bed, because they are so tall, so no one but me will notice.

BTW, I was so proud and happy that the HH actually stayed straight and tall this year. Of course that was because we had no rain for 3 weeks. We had rain on Thursday (thank God!) and of course they are all bending over now :(