Knockout.

[Ysarex]

Knockout rose that is. This cultivar was introduced in 2000 and proclaimed as a new disease resistant variety that didn't require a pesticide IV to keep alive (roses can be difficult). It rocketed to number one selling landscape plant for awhile and soon there was nowhere you could look without seeing one. It is not however resistant to the rose rosette virus and now that there are knockouts on every block and the virus can spread on a breath of wind, it's epidemic time.

Every one I see now has the virus. I have mixed feelings while we take out all our roses. This one is in my neighbor's yard (it's got it).

Joe

 

[Gary A.]

Where is the virus?

The big rose used out here by landscapers is Iceberg.

We have about 50 roses. We have lost very few over the years.

 

[Ysarex]

Where is the virus?

The big rose used out here by landscapers is Iceberg.

We have about 50 roses. We have lost very few over the years.

You may be partially protected by a couple mountain ranges and a blue state that places plant health above $$$$$. The outbreak map shows some pockets in CA (mostly northern). The epidemic spread east to west and is raging full-force here in the Midwest. It's an airborne contagion without a cure so there's really only one thing to do....
Rose Rosette

Joe

 

[smoke665]

I've had mixed results with roses of any variety. Few years ago, I set out a cheapo from Wally World, just for the heck of it. That sucker flourished, and produced some of the most beautiful roses I'd ever seen for several years. Then one day I noticed some dying leaves, and despite my attempts to save it, it never recovered. In our previous home, we had several that were there when we bought the house, and were still there when we left. They produced roses but never quite as pretty as this one.

 

[Gary A.]

We've never used any pesticides here, but that mite driven disease seems rather severe. Thanks for the heads-up. The big thing out here is the tree die-off, due to the drought and drought related causes. Last year we lost 64 million trees, the year before 29 million trees. I think that ornamental roses are way down on the government funding list.

 

[Ysarex]

I've had mixed results with roses of any variety. Few years ago, I set out a cheapo from Wally World, just for the heck of it. That sucker flourished, and produced some of the most beautiful roses I'd ever seen for several years. Then one day I noticed some dying leaves, and despite my attempts to save it, it never recovered. In our previous home, we had several that were there when we bought the house, and were still there when we left. They produced roses but never quite as pretty as this one.

Roses are fussy and often require a lot of care and pampering. That's why this cultivar was so successful. From the patent holder's webpage: "The Knock Out® Rose, Radler’s first commercial success and a 2000 AARS winner, has broken all records for sales of a new rose. Today it is the most widely sold rose in North America....The Knock Out® Family of Roses are easy to grow and don't require special care. Plant them individually among shrubs, annuals and perennials in mixed beds and borders. Plant them in large groups to create a colorful hedge or along a foundation to provide a bright border." I swear there must be a law that every new gas station and fast foodery is required to plant at least a dozen of them. And now as any Epidemiologist will tell you it's not the pathogen that creates an epidemic it's population density.

We go to Lowes and Home Cheapo and look at the plants there and you can see rose rosette in the roses they're selling. We took out our last rose this past Fall -- no point now until this thing burns itself out.

Joe

 

[Ysarex]

We've never used any pesticides here, but that mite driven disease seems rather severe. Thanks for the heads-up. The big thing out here is the tree die-off, due to the drought and drought related causes. Last year we lost 64 million trees, the year before 29 million trees. I think that ornamental roses are way down on the government funding list.

I just received this email from an environmental group:

View attachment 139984

"Gary, At least two dozen national monuments are at risk of losing their federally protected status as a result of President Trump's executive order asking for an unprecedented review of their designations.

Five are in California, including Giant Sequoia National Monument, which encompasses Sequoia National Park. As Californians, we cannot allow this president who seems to hold nothing we value dear to our hearts as important. ..."

That is indeed a tragedy. It will take generations to begin to recover.

Joe