I'm not the most experienced rose gardener (though I am an experienced _gardener_) but I'll go ahead and take a shot. First, I'm not so sure about fertilizing with Osmocote right away--I use organic fertilizers myself, specifically Roses Alive! from Gardens Alive!, and I admit that with that I do mix it right into the soil, but I've heard others say that some chemical fertilizers are not a good idea with new plants, though that may be more for bareroot plants. Next, unless the roses in question are hybrid musks or some other variety that can tolerate semi-shade like the Buck rose Country Dancer, I would definately put roses in the full sun and not a semi-sunny spot. Actually, since they are potted, it might be best to leave them there just a few days until they adjust to being repotted, but then I would find a place in as full sun as possible. The roses will be happier and happier roses are better resistant to diseases. I also confine myself to the allegedly organic methods of disease control, and in the last couple of years I've tried them all. I haven't had much luck controlling blackspot with Neem, though I know others have reported success. I'll go ahead and add the bacterial control sometimes sold under the brand name Serenade as another I've had poor luck with. What has worked better for me is the Copper soaps and the Sulpher-based solutions. But you do need to go ahead any apply it now, and continue doing so on a very regular basis, to avoid the worst cases of blackspot--if you wait until it show symptoms the rose will have a harder and longer recovery. To be honest, even then you are likely to have some blackspot, though hopefully not enough to kill your enjoyment of the roses or weaken the roses themselves too much. Again, the variety of rose is important--some roses are much more resistant to fungal diseases than others. Two other comments on rose care--once roses start growing and hopefully blooming, they do appreciate rather more water and fertilizer than other plants of a similar size might. Are you planning on keeping them in pots? I am forced to do all my gardening in pots due to my current living arrangements, but some varieties of roses are better than others in containers. I keep bugging my friends, coworkers, and casual aquantances to take the roses that have outgrown my pots as gifts, but I've had only limited success with this as they all seem to most want the roses I actually want to keep :). By the way, what size are the pots you have them in? I use 16" pots myself, the kind that are deep as possible, though I have several roses that are in their second year that will soon need to be placed in 20" pots if I can't give them away. If you have yours in anything smaller than 16", I've found that the rose will outgrow it very quickly unless it is a miniature or something very slow growing. If the rose is underpotted, it will again become stressed and be unhappy/unhealthy.

We get some rose blooms all the way into November. It doesn't get cold enough here for the roses to really go dormant. I prune some time between Christmas and Valentine's Day. Most hybrid teas, grandifloras, floribundas and miniature roses repeat bloom from spring until fall. Many shrub roses, climbers and heritage varieties do too. I will put a link to information on rose clubs in Southern California. You won't need to be a member to go to a meeting and ask questions -- the best advice on good varieties that bloom well your area will come from folks who live in your microclimate. In public rose gardens with labeled varieties you can see how the plants look, and at rose shows (several held this fall and next spring) you can see hundreds of cut blooms grown locally. Here is a link that might be useful: Southern California rose societies

See if your ROS develops leaves this year. Plants can't "eat" if they don't have leaves. Could the bugs have eaten every single leaf on your bush? It didn't have even one or two leaves last year? I don't think a plant or bush or tree can survive without leaves. Pruning wouldn't have killed it, they are tough bushes. Hopefully, you will see life soon on your twigs. Keep your eye out for them soon, my ROS are already waking up with a little new growth. Good Luck!

Nah, I won't throw in the towel because of a few pests - I won't let them bully me ;) I too have found it to be relaxing & a stress reliever, even if it may cause a stroke, lol! Plus I have lots of paper wasps/parasitic wasps, bumblebees, songbirds, etc, to take care of the pests. I do, however, need to find some native plants to attract more as well as plants to keep pests at bay. Being a beginner at roses, as well as having a certain mindset that they are difficult to maintain (as my mother always said but I'm overcoming), I've been babying them, need to let nature do its thing & sit back to enjoy my work thus far. I do thoroughly enjoy everything that comes with it: pruning, dead heading, making my own trellises, I even enjoy watering :) Thanks for the encouragement & input; that's enough to keep me moving forward! Nic P.S. I've checked for pests today & found nothing, but would've let them be if I did ;)