On the rare occasions when we get warm, tropical weather here, 'Golden Celebration' does, indeed, blackspot.

No big surprise! It was bred in part from 'Abraham Darby,' which also blackspotted here under those conditions (but it was much worse).

As lovely as G.C. is here in my climate, (if it's humid here, it's cold. If it's warm here, it's dry) I would not recommend it to anyone in conditions where blackspot is a problem.

Jeri

REPEAT

This post was edited by jerijen on Thu, Feb 5, 15 at 20:28

Mine has been a pretty vigorous grower but it does black spot.

Think it would be happier with no afternoon sun? Wonder if the Texas heat has anything to do with it staying small, or does it like lots of fertilizer? I mulch with well composted horse manure and water well. It does get quite hot in this particular spot. If I move it, now is the time.
Judith

Most Austins are black spot magnets. GC is one of the worst. At this time of year, it might be cercospora, but it doesn't really matter. If you don't spray, you are going to be constantly fighting the fungal disease with this one.

Typically do tryouts with new plants, while potted, in various sun exposures to scope out their site preference before planting. Golden Celebration didn't appreciate all day sun here in central Virginia at 38 latitude, so was planted in an ESE exposure where the house blocks direct sun after 2-3 pm. Guessing you're up to 10 degrees closer to the equator, warmer year round & generally hotter longer in Summer, so believe moving GC to where it will receive afternoon relief from blazing sun will help greatly.

Haven't found GC needs rich fertilization in the mineral-dense clay based loam here, but definitely appreciates more water than most. Even in this climate with 5-6" of rain a month typical in the growing season, GC needs extra supplemental gentle hose spray hand watering for peak performance when the temps really crank up. Like other roses. it gets 1-2" of homemade compost twice a year Spring & Fall and fallen oak leaf mulch in Autumn, both kept a few inches clear of the canes. With lower plants shading the ground in mixed perennial beds, there's nothing besides the light layer of compost past Spring, as I've found actual mulch contributes to fungal spread in this humid climate. All get Neptune's Harvest watered in once or twice a year & sprayed as a foliar feed if they're showing signs of stress any other time.

Golden Celebration grows vertically here, confined within but not tied to a copper obelisk, where there's good air circulation in this high humidity & high blackspot pressure area. Only occasional blackspot noted on low leaves, stripped off & trashed as they appear, with new clean leaves replacing them quickly. No sprays nor chemicals used here, as they may harm the beneficial soil microorganisms I rely upon to keep the pathogenic ones in check.

Nearly 9 years in this garden with this treatment, Golden Celebration has been a real star performer, blooming nearly continuously early till late in generous clusters of beautiful & well perfumed blossoms. Since yours holds its leaves while dormant, may be a good idea to strip them once it enters dormancy as clean up, as they serve no purpose for the plant at that point & will often succumb to disease once the plant withdraws support for them. A little Mycorrhizal Fungi sprinkled on the roots when you transplant it may help it recover more easily. Incorporated into this garden years ago, find it made growing healthy roses much easier. Good luck!

This post was edited by vasue on Fri, Feb 6, 15 at 12:50

I am in Louisville,KY zone 6. I loved Golden Celebration, but I ripped it out in a fit of agony over.....Blackspot! Terrible blackspot....constant blackspot. I can`t believe I did it, but there was no helping this rose. I spray every 10 days, I use Bayer. It did not help GC at all. I still miss those beautiful yellow blooms. Lesley

That is one beautiful yellow rose and I can see why you love it....however, I decided not to get it because of the B S problem, and planted Crepuscule instead, several years ago....I do not spray, ever, and Crepuscule, being a Noisette, never gets BS, and the Chili-thrips avoid it...the color is not as intense as GC, but the vigor and other qualities more than make up for it...I have 2 more now, looking for a place to plant them.....LOL, sally