My "like" is for the second bed, Patty, which is beautiful, and I'm sure will fill in fast. They are blooming so well for first year plants. I hate to mention the first pic, I know it pains you, but I don't know anything about anthracnose--it looks just like blackspot (don't anything about it either), so how do you tell the difference between the two diseases? Hope the darn anthracnose goes away soon.

I have the praying mantids, too, all over the place. some are green and some are brown, but all seem to be brown by fall. They are very large and I'm constantly startling them when I hand water--they startle me, too. Diane

Ugh. Mine get that in the spring. Maybe you were more humid than normal. I may even spray fungicide next year on the worst offenders, umphh, 'Evelyn'.

Love your pink & yellow bed.

Diane, the anthracnose spots go all the way thru the leaf. About as dark as it is on the surface and they tend to stay about the size in the photo. They can be both circular or angular. They also have a tendency to gray in the middle. Back spot stay on the surface of the leaf. Anyway I think Anthracnose is a catch all term for bacterial spots. Enough is enough already. They start during a cool wet snap. Then get worse in the horrible humid damp wet soggy weather of the last 2 years.

At this time of year everything looks awful in my garden. I look at that second picture and think...what is there to complain about,please???You've got a bed full of flowers! and the plants are only in their first year! Take a step back, dearie; speaking for myself I've got the Total-Burnt-Out-Exhaustion Blues; do you guys in Illinois get those? They tend to make everything look like a failure, but it's only subjective. I think a lot of roses everywhere look bad at this time of year(disease-ridden, for example, dropping leaves, etc.) Don't get depressed! just start thinking about companion-planting; aka, plants to cover for the roses when they look bad...best wishes!

Irisgal, I'm afraid I may have to spray next years on the worst roses. The bed with coral and salmon rose and some of the reds are my worst right now. Thank you as misery loves company. Sorry

Bart, 90% of the years Illinois is very green. We usually get plenty of rain and have wonderful rich black dirt. I've been all over the western US and some of the south east. It baffles me the work it must take to garden in those conditions. I've seen so many overseas photos where gardeners terrace hill side in order to gardens. Just amazing the spirit it takes.

Your right all need to do is step in the house and look out the window and I see beauty.

I too love your second pic. We get bs and I spray although not like should. Seems to always be Sumpin. Your first year roses are doing great!! Judy

I know what you mean, Patty. Both of my Eden's had it last year and I was afraid I'd see a repeat this year but they've been completely healthy. I continue to remind myself to not judge them too harshly their first year. But if they are severe offenders after this they usually don't last long in my garden. Love your new garden bed!

Looks very like black spot. Humidity main cause. Leaves MUST BE DISPOSED OF NOT LEFT ON GROUND. Spores will mutiply and cause much more damage. Val

I hope the anthracnose problem improves with age Patty...

We do not get anthracnose that bad here... Bs that's another story...

Thanks for the thoughts everyone. The concerning thing at this point is that there are quite a few rose going into winter in a weakened condition. Never thought anthracnose could get this bad.

Love your garden design. In my world, we just live with black spot.

I get anthracnose and cercaspora too. This year I had it on my hydrangeas too.

Anthracnose on our Thomas Affleck...

I had terrible rose slugs so they ate a lot of the leaves. What's left is diseased anyway. It's been any ugly summer for my roses.

Your garden layout is beautiful. Roses present challenges that would try the patience of a saint. At least with anthracnose the foliage holds on feeding the bush. I like to call the rose leaves their 'mouths and stomachs,' without which a rose starves...often to its death.

At this point I'm concerned with how your stressed roses will survive their first winter in your zone 5a. Do you intend to use some sort of winter protection?

The heat has been so bad that four of my roses have gotten sunburned...then died. Tried everything to get them revived, but nothing.

Then I see the roses that I've tried mostly everything to get them growing sending out new basel growths and leaves, and I'm kind of happy. Balance is key this time, I guess.

Thanks for sharing your stories Holly and Joe. Here it has been this relentless humidity. The plants have been wet all summer. They are covered in dew at least 6 hours a night. Like Holly said I'm mostly pleased and form a distance there are a lot of bright spots. I'm getting older and nuttier I guess. Sort of meant that the roses look depressed.

I guess I am one of the luckier folks. With the exception of japanese beetles, my roses are only starting to get bs now. Usually, they would be covered at this time but summer has been hot and drier this year. As ugly as it looks, there is always next year. I wouldn't lose sleep over it.