Tammy, Those photos of 'Wedding Cake' indicate a heavy infestation of rose scales (in my view, among the most loathsome of all insects). The only thing that would keep me from trashing that plant immediately, would be the knowledge that it was so rare that I'd never be able to replace it. 'Wedding Cake' was in the middle of your pot ghetto? Carefully examine all other denizens of your ghetto. Soon.

As for 'Bow Bells' -- return that one to a shaded location pronto. In answer to your question regarding whether you should fertilize that one now: NO.

As for those insects . . . I think you may be right in assuming that they're some kind of beetle. They look kind of like Fuller rose beetles (are they more dark gray-ish than black?). If they are Fuller beetles, they'll eat the leaves in short order, but probably not do any lasting damage to the plant.

Rather than spraying those critters (whatever they may be) and waiting to see what the morning brings, pinching that leaf off and quickly dispatching it (and them) underfoot is the way to go. Better yet, use your thumb and its 2 adjacent fingers to turn those suckers into a fine puree. I once was very squeamish about bug juice, but no more. Soap and water at the end of a gardening session is almost as satisfying and restorative as a subtle mix of gin and vermouth is at cocktail time.

Thanks Jaxondel....I Googled Rose Scale Insect and that is definitely what it is. I think I'll prob toss the plant. I'll recheck all of the other plants that were near it tomorrow, just to be sure they didn't spread. I've had wedding cake seperated from the others since I noticed it.

I'll also move Bow Bells back into the shade. What about switching out the soil?

The insects on the leaves don't look like the pictures of fuller rose beetles. In person, they really are pitch black. There's no grey or brown to them.

Thanks for the scale bug info...I've never heard of them!

Tammy

Tammy,
I've never seen scale that bad on any roses anywhere in the southeast. Check some of your other landscape plants.

Decades ago a TN nursery had such bad Scale problems that the state moved in and sprayed to eradicate the problem as the owners refused to. (Laws have tightened up as to what a nursery must do, nowadays.) Problem is that some of that nursery's scaley plants were sold thoughout TN and the problem still exists in pockets throughout the state.

Third problem might not be a problem. The could be the baby sized versions of assassin bugs ....which when mature are that ugly , only uglier and bigger. Look up assassin bugs and wheelie bugs. (If you have a good scanner, you could use it to magnify a few of them. We have a local black aphid, but they would be on the stems, rather than on the undersides of leaves.)

I was going to say that the 3rd one looks like stink bug nymphs. I had them on my zucchini plant. Assassin bugs look very similar.

I had scale on a spirea. Part of it started to die off and I wasn't sure why, then I saw the scale. I sprayed it and it seems to be doing better. If you do try to save that rose, I'd quarantine it so it doesn't spread. Unfortunately my spirea was planted, so I couldn't do that, but I don't think it spread.

Bow Bells looks like sunburn. she may have been grown under shade cloth at the nursery or your sunlight is simply more intense. Don't change the soil. Don't fertilize. Do put her in shade until September so she can recover.

Those last two pictures gave me the willies...lol

Maude

Bow Bells has sunburn on the upper leaves and iron-deficiency chlorosis on the lower. Sunburn is from deficiency of water in the leaf and usually follows transplanting (disturbance of roots) or moving from a humid greenhouse into the harsh sunlight. Iron chlorosis can be from high pH (soil too alkaline) or waterlogging.

Wedding Cake has scale insects, but (like Ann) I've never seen scale on outdoor roses in the East except in these pictures; I think it is mainly a greenhouse problem except in California where certain species are significant garden pests. Personally I wouldn't panic about this. Scale can be controlled with soap or oil sprays, and it's probably not adapted to survive for long in your garden.

I've no clue about the black squirmy things. I would take a closeup of an individual and send it to ag extension or to Baldo Villegas. Is there any indication of damage to the plant?

GAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! Why didn't I read this before lunch? Those last 2 pictures are going up on my fridge as the most sure-fire way yet to lose weight.

Now I have the willys and my skin is crawling--but I gotta say that I'm fascinated by the photos & information. I've never seen anything like that here in Illinois.

Maybe I'll try to salvage the plant then. I check some of the other shrubs/trees on my property and theres no signs of the insects. Wedding cake was shipped from California, so maybe it came with it, and the haven't matured until now. Its had trouble keeping its leaves since it arrived.

The little black bugs are gone now...I guess the Bayer spray scared them off.

I've also moved Bow Bells into the shade again :)

Tammy