My James Galway has RRD

16 years ago

I was weeding and looked down the hill.

And in the middle of the green growth and some blooms there was a patch of reddish purple that wasn't there a week ago. I told myself that maybe I had missed some Virginia Creeper that turns that color in autumn.

Close up, there was no doubt. Five gnarly contorted growths way out at the end of an otherwise normal cane, overgrowing some buds and nothing right about them.

So tomorrow a.m., when the temps are below 50F, I'll photograph and bag it and cut it off. And then take off the six feet of woody stem below it.

James Galway is a magnificent rose, one of my best. It came through the Easter freeze undamaged and was the corner of a big bed, giving it height. And that may have been its downfall.

And I'm also going to have to walk the roses very slowly trying to see if any others are showing RRD. I'd really like to get the sickness off before the (not a joke) rainy forecast for later this week that would really make the juices move up and down the stems.

Happy Monday, hope yours is better than mine.

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Comments (8)

cupshaped_roses
16 years ago
Sorry to hear that Ann!!! Hope pruning away that cane will get rid of it. Hope a picture of the many petaled beauty can cheer you up a bit( Until Spirit of Fredom came along I had not seen a rose with as many petals as James Galway):

{{gwi:220400}}
len511
16 years ago
omg ann. so sorry to hear that. seems like all of a sudden a major outbreak of rrd.
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carla17
16 years ago
Ann, I'm thinking of you as I check my garden twice a day! This time I really know how you feel. Hugs to you.

Carla
carla17
16 years ago
Ann, somehow I wonder if the drought had something to do with this RRD mess. I am not as versed on the subject as you but just a thought.

Carla
anntn6b
Original Author
16 years ago
Drought + heat
The difference between this summer and the summer I lost 2% of my roses was the two percent year I kept all the roses well watered.
This year we didn't because the well hasn't been happy pumping too many gal per hour.
James Galway is in the most watered part of the garden, FWIW. I have already cut the big sick cane back three feet and will take it off at ground level tomorrow when I can find the right saw to cut through a three and a half inch diameter cane (sob!). And one cane next to the sick one was also wrong, but it was only a year old so an easy removal.
What made me react faster was the weather forecast for stronger winds out of the south tomorrow (many roses are north of James Galway) and the birds cavorting in that rose. Can birds be vectors for mites? probably. But that's almost unproveable.

Here is a link that might be useful: An old related thread on ARF here on GW
onewheeler
16 years ago
Ann I hope you are able to save this rose from that dreaded RRD. I just planted James last spring, he is gorgeous and one of my favorites. Good luck.

Valerie
patricianat
16 years ago
Ann, we had decided to reduce our roses to about 50 secondary to the drought and age/health considerations. I had planned to give most of the roses away. Unfortunately, I will be burning them, so many with RRD. I have no desire to even go out in the garden, 3 Heritages, 2 Ballerinas, 2 Francis Dubrieul, Robin Hood, and a whole bed of HTs. The list goes on and on. We are thinking if rain ever occurs, we might use a backhoe and just burn them on our "wild" property with the fire department on standby, of course.
Patty W. zone 5a Illinois
16 years ago
I'm sorry to here about your roses Ann and Patricia. Thanks again for help when I needed it. RRD has come back again in my garden also.

Patty

My James Galway has RRD

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cupshaped_roses

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