That's very frustrating, Beth! If the missing bud is the stem in front of the white trellis upright on the right side, a rodent ate it. The one held in your fingers appears to have been eaten by a grasshopper or Katydid. It's relatively easy to determine what has eaten a plant. If the stem is gnawed off at a 45 degree angle, a rodent at it. This damage very much resembles your traditional pruning at 45 degree angles. Their teeth meet at that angle and their damage is characteristically that shape. This could be rats, mice, squirrels, rabbits, etc. If the damage appears to be ripped off, it's likely deer, horse, cow, etc. They "chomp" and rip. If it's chewed off like the bud you're holding, it's an insect like grasshoppers, Katydids, caterpillars, etc. Might there be any bug poop around? It looks like little, dark pills, almost like pin heads. Don't believe there is no way for a squirrel or rat to get up there. They climb VERY efficiently, right up the stems or trellis. You would be amazed what they can get in to easily and quietly. For the bug damage, there are many insecticides around, from "thermonuclear" types to organics, and are readily available at your local home improvement or garden center outlets. Just make sure they list the insects mentioned above as ones against which they are effective. Rodents are quite a bit more difficult to deal with. Most often, the only way to protect the buds and plants is to put wire cages around them so they can't chew through and eat the plants and flowers. It's a "lot of fun", I know. I battle them all with my roses out back. Something has even found the front walled garden where I hoped my rose hips were safe. Nope. Some bugger has found them and ate them as quickly as I could harvest them. Welcome to gardening! Good luck. Kim

If you have numerous earwigs then you definately need to spray. The problem I found just with the one I had was that it was hiding inside the Bracht. Because I watched it climb down the stem and then just as it got near the bottom of the plant it went into one of the Buds/Brachts. Earwigs love those enclosed places. So putting powder on the bottom might not solve your problem. Also I don't know anything about their reproduction cycles; so you could really wind up with tons of them if you don't solve the problem now. The more I think about it I am surprised I never had Earwigs before because Passi's really give them a good place to hide when there are lots of Buds. Since they seem to like the top leaves I would spray those first as well as any new growth. That "Bayer" brand is very thick & strong; and since earwigs are hard to kill you may need to not dilute. This is what I would do if I was using the Bayer - I would dilute maybe 70% Bayer/30% Water and spray the leaves. Then check over the next day or two and see if the Earwigs are still around; if they are still their and they are still alive I would do another spray without diluting. Then once they all are gone or dead I would give the Passi's a slight night shower just to try to wash some of it off. It says it stays on their for a month; but personally I know on my rose bush & my Hibiscus it only lasts for about a week. But it did kill the Earwigs on my Rosebush; I sprayed my hibiscus just to be safe because it's next to the Rosebush. All my Passi's are in pots; except for 1. I planted my Lavender Lady in the ground last year and it came back this year. So Im going to root some cuttings and put a few more in the gound and see what happens. Keep me up to date on any solutions you find to get rid of your earwig problem. Because many of the pesticides don't seem to work very well overall. The only reason I tried the Bayer is because Rose Growers swear by it for getting rid of all types of bugs. And I have 3 different Pesticides here; and out of all that I tried the "Bayer" seems the most effective. I always buy them when they go on sale; and put them away for if I ever need them. Keep me up to date on your Earwig Problem; it's always good to have that kind of knowledge. Thanks Chris

Hi Georgia Mountain lad, Right now, (Looking at the one picture you posted), I can only guess at four likely causes. I need a few more picture's and more verbalization from you. I need to see one or two rose canes and any rose budsâ¦.And the underside of the leaves. If you can describe the problem(s) a bit more and add a few more pictures, I may be able to "see" what the problem is. Here are the 4 potential cause: 1. Rose Midge 2.Thrip damage 3.Leafhoppers 4.Leafrollers Your problem is NOT caused by weed spraying, nor is it caused by "suckers" growing from the base of the grafted rose area. In your picture, I see "rolled leaves". This suggests "Leafrollers". Is there "webbing" when you un-roll a leaf? I also (think) I see⦠dark "burn-like" and deformed leaf damage. This suggests Rose Midge. I also see "pimple-like" bumps on some leaves. Which suggests Leafhoppers. Are both "rose buds" and leaves "distorted"? If so, this suggests Thrip Damage or Rose Mide damage. It's the dead of winter now, so obviously you can't run out and snap a few pictures to post. I hate to ask you wait and send more pictures in the spring (after the damage is done)⦠Waiting until damage is done is BAD for the Rose⦠and makes the solution far more difficult to eradicate the problem. But, if you have no other pictures to post, you should be pro-activeâ¦. and READ: The Ortho Problem Solver. These books are VERY expensive, but offer EXCELLENT diagnosis. Every Home Depot or Lowe's has a book in their garden center for customers to read (for free). Also, you local library will have a copy. After you read about the 4 probable culprits I've listed above (which are all insect related)â¦. and if your still not sure which bug is causing this problemâ¦.I'd be happy to have a look at any additional photo's you post here on Garden Web this spring. (use Macro lens if you have the option to do so). I will check back for any reply in a few days. I hope this post was helpful.

It may be a case of soil moisture issues and transplant shock. Our temps have climbed into the mid to upper 80s with plenty of drying winds blowing and making allergy sufferers reach for the meds. This scenario makes the soil dry quickly so try to provide water the night before windy days, make sure they get shade starting around 11am on summer days when the sun is straight on top of us, maintain 3-4" of mulch and check the soil moisture by inserting a finger into the nearby soil to a depth of 4". If the soil feels dry or almost dry then water. You can add about 1 gallon of water per watering but plan to increase that (1.5 gallons per watering) in May when temps normally hit the 90s thru September. The shrubs are not used to being in your garden so the transplant shock makes the leaves droop easily in year one; in future years, the plants will do better but expect some droopiness once we start long strings of daily 100s. New hydrangeas will droop often then. If you see them drooping, use the finger method to test the soil and add maybe 1/2 gallon of water if the soil feels dry or if the wilting episode looks extreme. If the soil feels moist or wet, leave it alone and let it recover on its own by nightfall or by the next morning. I normally use drip irrigation twice a week but, once temps get hot, I water with a hose also/instead. Like I said earlier, the winds we have had lately make the leaves loose moisture faster than the roots can absorb. But as long as the soil is as evenly moist -not wet- as you can make it, the shrub's leaves should look fine in the early daytime hours and all should be well. Meaning, try to prevent periods of dry soil, moist soil and back to dry soil. Do be careful not to over-water as that can start a slippery slide into the world of root rot.Hydrangeas can get root rot if they get too much water and the soil does not drain well. Clay soil in our area is therefore a problem but adding some organic compost helps. If a plant gets root rot, its leaves will appear wilted 24/7, including after you water it. And when watering, water the soil early in the morning hours (5-6am) instead of watering the leaves; this prevents fungal infections on the leaves (powdery mildew for example). I am watering about twice a week now. Consider a different spot for the plants if the area turns out to be too windy. Since almost all of our area has alkaline soil, make plans to amend the soil to prevent iron chlorosis episodes. This is when the leaves turn yellow, except for the leaf veins which remain dark green. In Spring, I usually add whatever I have handy: garden Sulphur, iron sulfate, aluminum sulfate, greensand, iron-chelated liquid compounds. On some years, I also have to add an extra dosage in the Fall. Which hydrangeas did you get? Lowe's usually has Merrit on stock in March-April. Luis