Look at the remaining stem, if any. Is it cut cleanly, or is it ripped or chewed? Just saying that squirrels, deer, and no doubt other 4 legged critters have been known to eat rose blooms. I watched a squirrel once who picked a fully open bloom, and then spent over 5 minutes eating it, turning it over and over in his paws and chewing, just the same way we eat corn on the cob.

My DH is a retired contractor, and we are still laughing about one of his clients, who had a HT rose bush fairly near the street which was absolutely covered in buds one Spring. He was working on her house, and when he came to work she was hysterically angry at the horrible "person" who had cut off 100% of the rose buds on that bush overnight. My DH had trouble convincing her that that was normal behavior for deer, not humans.

Jackie

Oh that is so infuriating. Some people will steal roses, but its more common for an animal to eat it. When I was a little girl I used to love to pick flowers and bring them home to my mom. One day I was walking around the block and I went into someone's front yard and picked a rose that was in bloom. It was the only rose on the plant. When I got home and took it to my mom she scolded me for taking it and I couldn't understand what I had done wrong. Now I understand LOL.

Yes! I have a bed right along the street and I lose blooms out there all the time. And no, we don't have deer here. The missing ones are to high up for them to have been rabbits and I've never seen a squirrel take a fully open bloom. Besides, they don't disappear until they have at least begun to open. I tried putting a sign up telling people to ask me to cut them for them, which I would gladly do, but it didn't help. I don't mind losing the blooms so much (except right before my shows!) but they do damage to the plants when they tear them off. That I object too!

Birds will eat them too. My big fat roosters will actually jump as high as their greedy butts can jump to get roses. That's why I mostly grow roses that are either climbers or get really tall lol. When the roses are babies, I keep them in a fenced area I call the baby plant "play pen" to keep the chickens out of them.

~Sjn

Yes the children on my street do without impunity. It would be one thing if they took them, but they just throw the blooms om the ground. The parents don't care, and you can't scold other people's kids, so oh well. I moved the pots to the backyard.

That's horrible Ninkasi. If only they knew the trouble we go through to grow and enjoy them.

Sjn, I like your chicken story. At least the chickens pay you for the roses they take by supplying chicken manure for your plants, ha ha.

Enjoying the stories you guys are funny.

How appropriate, this thread, given Valentine's Day is this Sunday. I have had many a neighbor wink and say they know where to pick up roses on Valentine's Day or Mother's Day. I just wink right back and remind them that I spray those roses at night because of all the toxic chemicals I use to spray the roses.

If they knew how to cut roses, I would hand them over the sheers and ask to dead head a bit while they're at it, lol.

Love this thread.

Hey everyone! Been a while since I visited this forum. How is everyone?

People tend to steal my roses at my front yard especially my Austins : Golden Celebration and L.D. Braitwaite. It is always the blooms on the top of the rose which is definitely higher for any animals we have here and it is ripped off which is how I know someone did it. This is the main reason I decided to grow most of my roses at the back which is unfortunate because no one else except my family can enjoy it.

When I bought Don Juan last year, I took the advice from a poster at helpmefind website not to plant this rose at the front because of theft.