Oh, I'm sorry. I know how devastating it can be to lose a beloved plant, but so many at once is awful to contemplate. We pay a price for roses' beauty - so many things can affect them. When your heart has healed a little bit, maybe look into other beautiful flowering shrubs/bushes that could thrive there without all the pitfalls of roses?

Oh, that is a sad thing. I can understand that you're devastated to see years of work gone in an instant.

We don't have rose rosette in Australia so I had to look it up. I see that you shouldn't replace roses for several seasons in case there are residual roots in the soil with mites living in them. I guess your best plan would be to research some fast growing (pink :-) ) bushes you could plant in their place. Hugs.

That is so sad, Amylou. I am a non-gardener, so have no information except to say that I love and appreciate the beauty that is created by people such as you.

A gardener here who deeply sympathizes with you. Rose rosette disease is a disaster for people who love roses.

I am so sorry this happened. While there are no roses that are immune to rose rosette, there are some that are resistant to the infection. You might try one of them, located away from the exact original site.

• Top Gun®: Currently recognized as the most RRD-resistant cultivated rose
• Lafter: Known to have high resistance.
• Caldwell Pink: A hardy, disease-resistant, repeat-blooming shrub.
• Wild Rose Species: Rosa spinosissima (European burnet rose), Rosa virginiana (Virginia rose), and Rosa palustris (Swamp rose) are often resistant

The longer one gardens the more one learns of all that will threaten your plants. It's very disheartening. What I hear over and over from my Master Gardener bffs is there are new varieties that are disease and pest resistant. Try try again.

How horrible. I have no words 🙁

So sorry. I understand your heart break.

Amy, that is heartbreaking, especially for you and also for those who have admired them over the years. You will find something I’m sure that will fill those holes. The hard part is losing a plant despite your loving care. I hate hearing about RRD. It’s one reason i won’t ever try growing roses again. I did once and within 4 years we were pulling them out because of RRD. It was way back when people here first started hearing about it.

Enjoy the lilies and amaryllis, even if it looks bare.

So sorry, especially since it involves so many others that you brought joy to. I had that go thru my yard several years ago on some carefree Knockout roses all the experts were bragging about. I have never went back to any kind of roses except one called Iceberg, a floribunda, planted in a different place. Crossing fingers. It's a gamble.

Amy, you are a good steward of the earth and I am sorry for your loss. It's devastating, I know. I am strictly a hit and miss gardener. Currently I am having luck with a crape myrtle and a hydrangea. Hostas usually do well for me too though I know they aren't that showy. My gardening areas are small and it sounds like you have a lot more room. Good luck with whatever you decide to try next.

Have you thought about those azalea hybrids that bloom all summer? My neighbor had some and they are very nice.

That's so sad. I'm sorry that some of the joy has been sucked out of your world. I battled white fly last year for months. I always wonder why pests suddenly appear on formerly healthy, pest-free plants.

Years ago in my early 30’s, I had roses, Tropicana, Queen Elizabeth, the original Peace, and Mr. Lincoln. I really liked them., but aphids, black spot and all the other crap finally made me give up. I have not had a rose since and I am 74.

It is heartbreaking. A couple of years ago, my redbud tree died. It was a focal point of my garden. While I was contemplating what to replace it with, we had a flash flood that destroyed a lot more. I am just now looking forward to what the space will look like and feeling any sort of joy.

I had to look that up - yuck! So sorry 🙁 16 out 18 is so much!

I wonder about other shrubs that may look similar to roses - camellias?

Well bless you, that is devasting. This scourge was actually spread intentionally in some areas to kill multiflora in fields. They believed it would magically not spread to garden roses. Well they were wrong. It is a tiny mite that is wind borne that carries the virus. We are lucky to not have it here so far as I know. I know that you must have gotten it from the area so it is infected. I wish I had a suggestion. I dont know what else you could grow.

One gardening website I saw suggested wiegelia, which has a similar blooming period, is very colourful and comes in a range of pinks (as well as other colours).

Sorry, weigelia is NOTHING like roses. Nothing at all.

I know that, but they are pretty and colourful and have about the same blooming season as roses do, so they could fill a gap until the soil is safe for planting roses again.

Amylou, I am so sorry that you've experienced this disease in your prized roses. I could suggest other plants but you probably just need to grieve.