Hi Kathy, 'Botrytis, which is a fungus, so any good fungicide will help.' Not really. Due to the physiology of the Botrytis fungi not many fungicides will have any real effect on them. 'The only fungicide that I know that is specifically labelled to eradicate Botrytis is Palladium' Yes this specifically targets botrytis and related fungi, marketed as Switch in Europe'. It's the one I didn't want to mention in my earlier post, but since you did.. There might be other brands in some countries containing the active ingredients cyprodinil and fludioxonil, not sure about their copyright status. In the EU it is not licensed for amateur use AFAIK. It's more of a protectant than eradicant though. It does have some therapeutic action depending on the fungus stage, crop and time of application. I'm also not so sure if balling is caused by botrytis, or the condition just makes the bloom more susceptible to it or even that the two are quite unrelated but occur under the same conditions. What dublinbay proposes often works, especially if the bloom is yet relatively unharmed. One thing to note is that if botrytis (first discoloration and then slimy stuff) sets in the bloom it would be a good idea to cut and discard the bloom and at least a part of the stem to limit spore contamination to other blooms or roses. Nik This post was edited by nikthegreek on Tue, Jan 14, 14 at 13:02

Thanks everyone so much! I have been seriously thinking about getting Souv. de St. Anne's. I can live with a bit of stiffness in the bush as long as the basic form and foliage are nice. I have a few hybrid teas I just love. Safrano ia arriving this week sometime from Ashdown. Thanks for the lovely pictures. I have been trying to get Madame Antoine Marie and G Nabonnand, but everyone seems to be out of them for the season. If you know of a source that has high quality bushes of them please let me know. I guess I like a mixed bag. I enjoy most types of roses. I tend to favor the full cabbagey flowers such as Mrs. BR Cant, but I also love the charm of some of the simpler roses like Lady Hillingdon. I think they all look pretty growing near each other. The simple ones balance the big fat ones. I have had a terrible thrips problem for 2 years. This year is not quite so bd as last year, but still not great. I have "regular" thrips and chili thrips. Some roses have both, some only have one or the other. I have sprayed a couple of times, but do not want to use insecticide very often. When I find dead bees inside a flower that had been treated with systemics it makes me sick. It makes the plants too toxic for them even days after treated. One bush I absolutely love is Bermuda's Anna Olivier. She has the most gorgeous full blooms, and they last well when cut. I had a few thrips problems early on with her, sprayed her once about 5 weeks ago, and she hasn't had thrips since, unlike many of my other roses. I think she can deal with them on her own. So....it seems it is not always the fact that the rose is a full bloom making it a problem here, because I have a few that usually have little problem, such as Anna and Mrs. BR Cant. There must be some other factors with genetics involved. Mrs. Dudley Cross has been a mess lately, probably thrips, but I haven't had the urge to get rid of her.....yet.

Ingrid: You have such a kind and generous heart. In my short time on this forum I've learned from you, and I've been moved by your poignant garden and its (and your) ability to persevere against never-relenting adversity. I posted only with the hope of "likes" that I was told would lead to some help for the foundation during my absence, and instead, you gave more. I hope you know in your own heart what an angel you are. jannike

Thank you everyone. Kate, I've had SdlM for awhile and have enjoyed it. This spring was the first season it had that many buds and I was looking forward to seeing it in full bloom. Lavender, my SdlM has a light, pleasant scent. Kristine, I think some roses just have a way of winning us over, one like Plum Perfect would be a good example, it's a great rose.