We had a long discussion about it two or three years ago. MichaelG suggested that it should and could be alternaria blight. Comparing my roses to the very few photos of alternaria available I had serious doubt that it could be anything else but botrytis. I also sent photos to NCStte univeristy that provides consultation and does lab tests for Extension Services. They came back with Botrytis. I also sent them samples but by the time they got it the samples were contaminated with something that is present on dying tissues. They ruled out alternaria - the guy who answered my emails and dent the report on the samples is an expert on alternaris, so I guess, if he rules that out, I should accept this as a fact. So still don't know the scientific answer but those roses of mine sure looked botrytis ridden to me. I also found a paper from Brazil that stated that if humidity's is over 90% for many hours, botrytis spores could survive up to 112F. Here, relatively close to the coast we have o0ver 90^% humidity and dew from early evening till mid morning.That amounts to more than 10 hours, rather more. This again leads me to believe that was botrytis I had. Baldo also said the Botrytis is a year-around problem in Hawaii.

I am sorry you take offense summer fashion -- I was just trying to point out that there are other places for this rare rose. As the grower of over 600 roses, many of which are rare, I try to do my part to keep some of these in commerce, and have given cuttings to many different growers. My initial question was simply directed at trying to figure out if I had the rose that was supposedly "the last one," and if I did have it, to get it out there to some distributers. FYI -- Cliff is the proprieter of Eurodesert Roses and he specializes in distributing rare roses. And to answer your question about Gregg -- no I do not think he would necessarily have driven down and gotten another one -- he has his hands full keeping all the roses already in his 4000 rose collection. I would be shocked if he were adding more, even if he happens to lose one. As for you complaint about "hi-jacking", I am sorry that you posted your Kudzu question on the rose board. Maybe you should have put it on the appropriate forum in the first place, rather than worrying about someone changing the subject of your post back to the subject of the board. Kathy Here is a link that might be useful: Kudzu on HMF

I saw one in my Perle D’or and according to the insect app it’s the oriental beetle (not the Japanese beetle) ...I usually let beetles be in the garden but this time I didn’t want to risk to have another pest on roses. I found another today on the Havana Blues geranium...same fate, cup of soapy water ah well. See if yours it’s a match to the pdf description, google images too. http://cues.cfans.umn.edu/old/Web/247OrientalBeetle.pdf

I want to add my recommendation to those of the others who like Open Shell. Every so often, perhaps after an update (but I haven't been paying attention to when), I find that the Open Shell start button with its picture of a shell and the rest of the first screen shot has reverted to the rectangular live buttons favored by Microsoft, but a reboot or other finagling gets Open Shell back. To me, it's worth the trouble to keep Open Shell. My husband uses Open Shell, too. Kudzu9's comment is true, that we have to learn new things from time to time. I don't resent that time at all. What I don't want to bother to learn or get used to is any changes that I hate, like the kind of desktop we can avoid by using Open Shell. When I can reverse such changes without incurring any danger to my PC, why not do it? I am old, too, Jane! Love computers; hate cell phones, but use one...grudgingly.