Our roses have been doing great--they started up before Memorial day and been putting on a great show all summer.

Funny the ones I planted last year are actually doing better then the ones I've had for several years. Right now blackspot is main problem along with some bug or caterpiller eating at my rosebuds and flowers.

Yep, I also have BS issues (my own fault) but otherwise an absolutely great year for my roses. The earliest I've ever had blooms.

It's been a bad year for me, too. Not as many blooms on some of my best, and TERRIBLE blackspot. I finally understand the phrase "lollipop roses".

I love the heat, don't get me wrong--nothing makes me happier than a 95 degree day. Problem is, we've had a lot of them, and none of them have been dry 95 degree days. Pretty much we know that it's going to rain every evening when it gets over 90. It's humid, it's sticky, and it's been downright brutal in the midsection of the nation, especially zones 5 and 6, it seems. Bad news for blackspot and stress on the roses.

My roses are bigger than they have ever been foliage wise. But they haven't bloomed a lot. The strange thing: the roses that normally get black spot have been pretty clean. And the ones that have never had any bs are getting it. This is the first year I have used the Bayer Advanced Disease Control. So maybe that has something to do with the bs weirdness:0) And this has been by far the worst year for Japanese Beetles here...

All in all, it has been good here in our no spray garden even with the heat & humidity.

I switched my rose garden to completely no spray this year and except for a few like Gold Medal which is now six feet tall and no leaves it has been a great summer. A few of my old European once blooming gallicas and albas bloomed for more than two months straight.

Lance

This has been my best year yet, probably due mostly to the lack of winterkill and the early, warm spring. First flush was before the end of May and lasted a very long time. Roses have been continuously blooming since then. Japanese beetles and blackspot no worse than other years.

Personally, I hate the head and humidity, so the only drawback to this season is I am not outside as much spending time with my roses.

Well seems that I'm in the minority! And then I failed to mention that flowers are smaller than usual. Take for example Jacques Cartier. Small not well formed flowers. Normally a very reliable rose.

Weeds are doing fine.

It's been a tough year for me, I expanded my rose garden a lot and all of the lingering spring showers and cool weather led to some bs and rust problems. But my main problem seems to be aphids - I've been getting way more infestations than I used to, maybe because there are so many more roses. The most disappointing thing is when they ravage a bud just before it blooms and ruin the flower.

Nevertheless I've had some very pretty roses and they are just starting their third flush of the year. The cool summer has kept them growing steadily so far, although I have to admit that I'm hoping for a least a little heat... my tomatoes are languishing.

Well Jim, I only keep the best performing roses. If it doesn't perform and isn't disease resistant, it goes! ;-)
Have you had any soil tests done recently?
Seems like here roses planted in Spring, work out better than fall plantings.
You say spindly growth, makes me wonder about your soil conditions, drainage, or sun conditions.
Well, I hope things improve for you!

I moved here from SCA in '92 and have been growing roses since then. So not a lot has changed except constantly trying new roses. Some that I've had for a number of years are now not doing so well.

So trying to figure what happened. I don't have records on rainfall but it seems to be different this year. Which may be contributing to things. The soil mostly is shallow, underlain by shale, so needs regular watering. Could be I didn't pick up on that soon enough. Will be more watchful now.

Yes I need to be more ruthless!

Up here in 3B it has been ROTTEN. All my roses died, my mothers roses all died and my grandmother lost one that was 20 years old. Alot of people I know have had similar problems. We had a bad freeze cycle last winter and the spring was too warm then too cool with way too much rain.

The new roses we planted seem ok and two have done very well but I am biting my nails thinking about this winter and next spring. I guess I can buy new roses (always fun) if these ones bite the bullet but still...

The weather has been a bit strange this year, and I think that has played a large part in unexpected problems. And then, there's the expected problems that show up, too. lol Gardeners have to be optimistic. There's always next year! ;)

We were at the Walnut Hill Rose garden in New Britain CT, which was just replanted this past April--it really looks great, with nearly all the roses in bloom!

It has been a really hard year. Part of the problem was not being able to afford blackspot spray in the beginning of the year, but a neighbor gave me some, so they're coming back now, but still not that many blooms. Mr. Lincoln, normally a real workhorse has had a total of four blooms. It has, however been a fabulous year for bugs, fungus and snails. Gad, they're the size of cheese danish!

I've been having a fairly good year with roses. Its been a bit hot but the flowers have been doing good.

Early June I checked rainfall records for late winter and early Spring, sparked by the unusually dry soil at the time. Very heavy rain in February when the ground was still frozen then very little after it thawed. A different pattern from previous years. Now we seem to be suffering from this as rainfall is unable to catch up. I need to hand water small or new roses. Something new for this part of the world.

Best year I've had in a long time. Plenty of rain in the spring so the shrubs and blooms were huge. And no japanese beetles tihs year. I did not see one! BS under control with only sporadic Bayer sprays, like twice this summer. Give me years like this every year. Denise

I've seldom had luck with fall planted roses. They need time to get established before winter or they die. If I can't get a rose in the ground before the end of August, I don't get it or if transplanting I wait until early spring.

Here in No Cal is has been a great year for me. Our "winter" rains continued until June 1st (usually they stop in April), and since then the summer temps have been unusually cool for this area (yesterday the high here was 66 - unheard of in August - it usually would have been over 90). Most of my roses are OGRs that rebloom - teas, chinas, noisettes, polyanthas, and hybrid musks. They have been loving the NOT blast furnace temps and cool humidity- the fog burns off and the sun comes out every afternoon. They seem to be re-blooming faster than usual.

Jackie

Our weather has been terrible all summer. Temps have mostly been around 100 with heat indexes taking them over.

My roses are fine, but I water a lot, and have completely replanted my garden. I have paid attention to those who have success with roses in no spray gardens in my zone, and I have purchased those roses. Many of them might be suitable for your zone, but many are not.

This has been a rotten year for sure.

Sammy

A rotten year here, too, for anything sensitive. All of last year's marginals either died in our extra bad winter or succumbed to the heat this summer. New bands with tender roots also succumbed to the heat. I've watered more this year but obviously not enough. I've never had a problem before; if I plant these "premature" babies in spring, they survive, tho it usually takes them an extra year to really get going. Bands with good roots that went in early have done fine, however, and my established roses have done well. Few jap beetles and too hot for much blackspot.