Henry, In my part of the world, I have seen glyphosate damage in one public garden. In fifteen years. RRD is the problem I deal with and the simple small narrow leaves often progress to full blown RRD in gardens around here. I can count more than twenty communications I've had from rose gardeners who were told by local experts that it was only herbicide damage, only to have it get worse and worse and they would finally find out about RRD. There is also a local expert here that says it's only a result of too much P in the soil, and cleansing the soil will cure it. Read in the e-book what Glenn Viehmeyer wrote about his problems with rose experts of his time- they told him it was only glyphosate damage. He knew different and eventually THE rose expert (Cynthia Wescott) wrote him and apologised and she hand typed a paper on RRD (then called Witches Broom) because she recognized the danger.

It showed up here about 5 years ago. Here being about 20 miles west of Sharon. The odd thing was that it seemed to come from the north, not the south, and did not show up in the garden where I expected given the usual wind patterns. It seems to be fairly manageable so long as you pay attention to your roses. I don't know what the general landscape is where you are. We have a lot of wild multiflora that isn't particularly happy because of pH issues. So sick multiflora doesn't tend to survive and spread problems, but obediently dies off. Aside from the wild multiflora, most of the roses I've seen with RRD have been various wichurana crosses.

I'm not sure of the specifics, but here's how I see RRD affecting roses -- both to further the spread of the virus, and also to result in the eventual demise of the rose. In the animal world, there are numerous examples of various parasite species causing changes in their hosts which facilitate the spreading of the parasite. I remember some examples of infected fish being attracted to swimming erratically near the surface, which makes them more obvious to avian predators. The parasite spends its second stage of life within the birds, so affecting the fish in this way would be an evolutionary advantage to those parasites. I think something similar is going on with RRD. The virus seems to trigger the rose to produce exuberant soft new growth which doesn't seem to mature. This is the type of growth which is most attractive to pests which feed on sap, so symptomatic growth would actually be sought out and fed upon more readily than asymptomatic normal growth. By creating an attractive and easy source of food, the virus is capable of spreading more easily. Of course, viruses aren't capable of thinking this through, but those viruses capable of engendering such physiological changes in plants which facilitate infection of new plants would also have an evolutionary advantage. Now, I don't know how RRD infected roses do in frost-free climates, but where Winters are real, those never-maturing soft RRD-infected growths would be decimated by the cold. Each year, an infected rose would have less and less live wood, and infected cells would be "forced" by the virus to continue producing this type of growth. Eventually, the reserves would be drained, and the rose dies. I'm not completely sure, but what I've seen of RRD-infected roses seems to indicate to me that the infected growth isn't really capable of photosynthesis -- or, at least, not to the degree of producing more food than is consumed by producing that type of growth. Just as a plant which produced blooms in lieu of producing leaves would eventually starve to death, my thoughts are that in frost-free climates, RRD-infected roses would similarly starve to death. But without Winter-kill, this would likely take longer. :-) ~Christopher

Loonlake, I've always felt that this batter would be ideal for savory fillings. I'm looking for the timbale irons, or flat rosette shells for this purpose, to use with cold chicken, tuna, or egg salad and creamed lobster, etc. I vividly remember a set of flat molds in my mother's cabinet but don't recall her using them. For those who have never made rosettes, I'd like to warn you that there is a technique. Every time that I make them, my first cookie is a failure. It sticks, won't slip off the iron mold. Each cookie is fine after that first one. The reason for the failure is because I haven't submerged the iron long enough in the hot oil. That mold has to be hot, hot, as does the oil. Secondly, you must submerge the hot iron only part way up the sides of that mold or the cookie won't slide off easily into the hot oil. They are very simple and fun to make, but you have to master the technique. I see that there are youtube videos....watch a few of them. I had my grandmother and mother to teach me in person, to give me that visual memory. On its own, the cookie is not sweet. If you bite into a fresh rosette expecting something delectable, you'll be disappointed. It needs something! Powdered sugar is traditional and wonderful, but you can also use cinnamon sugar, drizzled icing, toppings that include jelly, honey, or maple syrup. A little bit makes a big difference. They would also make a lovely shell for the savory foods mentioned above. Dawn....they are very addictive. Very!