Top reason for rosebud wilting is heat stress. Spray your roses every morning or evening to help them through the hot period, plus make sure you're deep watering 2-3 times a week. During prolonged heat, you might want to erect a temporary shade structure against the afternoon rays.

The other two reasons a rosebud would look 'wilty' is if it's growing up against something or rose midge.

Thank you very much. I have been watering quite regularly but will make sure I keep on top of it.

The idea of rose midge never crossed my mind. I had no idea. The plant is not growing up against anything so I'll check for midge damage.

Much appreciated.

Kate

Another possibility: rose curculios drill holes in the peduncle. If it's just a little hole, the rose can sometimes carry on. Often, though, the bud croaks. The surest way to know you have curculio is to look for holes drilled through the sepal. Both cucumber beetles and earwigs can make round holes in petals. The curculio is the only bug I know (so far) that drills holes through sepals.

Here is a series of shots ofcurculio damage.

Here is a link that might be useful: droopy buds from curculio

Berndoodle:

I think you hit the nail on the head. I have never seen so much as one of these little devils before this spring and now I have them in droves. I was just looking at what was left of my Angel Face blooms this morning. I hand pick them where possible but is there something else I can do?

Thanks for that info.

Kate

Bummer, Kate! :o( Below is a link to Baldo's site on rose weevils. Basically handpick adults, but also remove and destroy affected buds to prevent increased numbers the next year.

Here is a link that might be useful: Baldo on rose weevils

Hey thanks!

Another helpful link. You know I really hate those red little guys. They like some roses better than others which is weird.

This year with so many new roses I have had bugs I've never seen or even heard of before. My husband says because there is more preferred food in the garden they are showing up in larger quantities. Suppose that's true, smart little so and so's.

I guess I'll just keep hand picking them. I liked the picture in that link of the cute little rose weevil being removed and squished.

Kate

Kate, hand pick the curculios. They hide, they don't bite, and they drop and play dead. If you don't like to crush them, you can let them drown in soapy water when they drop. If you see the holes, they are there somewhere. I have a lot of trouble seeing them. More importantly, be fanatical about cleaning up the damaged buds and blooms. Curculiols are laying eggs in the receptacle. Their young develop and winter in the soil under the rose. So make sure you clean up during this month-long season. Curculios supposedly have only one reproductive cycle in a year. At my place, it was Mother's Day through 4th of July. Now they are gone. I have been deadheading with pruners (something I rarely do) and cleaning up all the spent bloom and hips around the roses that were affected.

One suggestion for control is underplanting roses the companion plants may help, if the companions form a thick mat, like creeping thyme. I don't do that because my roses are planted in cages, and I find roses don't like competition. But it's a thought. The thinking is that the immature young are kept from coming into contact with the soil and die.

Awesome information Berndoodle. Thank you, I'll do that. Great suggestions.

Kate