Organic gardening is so very rewarding. If you haven't already,get yourself a book to identify benefical insects and their larva stage.I quickly learned that a small green wormy looking thing on my rose last year was a hoover fly larva and it LOVES to eat aphids.After that I tried to learn about the various stages of these "do good" bugs.I really saw a fascinating lesson in the chain of life when I witnessed a swarm of termites leaving my compost pile. As I got closer I could see my favorite green lizard eating them up,10 dragon flies were buzzing around eating them in mid-air while the brown ants were dragging the wingless ones away off the ground.I always try to go the least toxic way so this chain can continue in my garden.Enjoy! Tamara

That depends on the poison used and whether you rinsed all of it off the rose. Only time will tell if you were successful. I cannot think of any better reason to not spray plant poisons around than this.

There really isnt a cut and dried answer, Tangles. I had a big long answer that devolved into a rant about disease resistance and lack of it it certain types of roses, The main gist of it was- Yes , Spraying can work, but as some climates are just better suited to growing certain classes of roses, you either find what varieties are best suited to your particular climate, live with constant BS and mildew, or fight the natural conditions and as Gardengirl detailed, be prepared to put in what may be a lot of work with regular and systematic spraying right from the start of the growing season. If your disease pressures are high, that can involve a lot of sustained effort. I've only been growing roses seriously for about three years, but already I know I can't commit to spraying on a regular basis- its expensive, don't like wearing the gear, and as I also grow vegies and herbs around the garden the idea of spraying stuff near what I'm planning to eat is more than a bit of a worry. You say you like older varieties, but apart from SDLM, you only mention David Austin roses; have you considered Tea Roses, or the Romanticas, Tantau or Delbard roses? Even Kordes are doing old fashioned looking roses if that is the style you like. NB I grow PAOK too- blackspot is better than some Austins I have, but mildew this year has been awful...

"Herbicides That Damage Roses Herbicides containing glyphosate are extremely dangerous for roses. Glyphosate can be absorbed by rose leaves and stems. Post-emergent herbicides used to kill broad-leaf weeds are also very dangerous for roses. Such herbicides commonly contain 2,4-D, triclopyr or dicamba." "Care After Damage Herbicide exposure is not necessarily a death sentence for roses. They commonly survive and eventually grow normally. Excellent care can help them recover. Water the affected roses once or twice per week during dry periods, but do not overwater them. Excessive water can be just as damaging as insufficient water." See: http://homeguides.sfgate.com/grass-weed-killer-kill-roses-accidentally-sprayed-them-87628.html