Do you dream of spring?  I’m already dreaming of spring and my rose bush.

Spring of 2018 I went on numerous job estimates of homeowners that had beautiful rose gardens.  Two homeowners were so upset about their rose bushes.  They were in the process of figuring out how to dig them up.  They were big bushes and I couldn’t image digging them up without proper research.  I asked could I take a look at them.  Each homeowner said sure, but it is hopeless the leaves are turning up and look funny on the end. They were throwing in the towel.  I had a feeling I knew what was wrong with the bushes that’s why I asked to see them.

The homeowner thought the bush had rose rosette.  It is a disease that rose bushes can get and it spreads to other rose bushes.  The only solution is to dig it up.  I looked at the bushes and told the homeowner that isn’t rose rosette.  Your bushes have been sprayed with glyphosate.  The owners were aghast.  They said I don’t use that here on my property.  I said you may not have but someone near you did and the drift caused it to land in your yard and on your rose bushes.

I advised the homeowner to trim back their bush and give it time to come back.  Fortunately for that homeowner, it was not rose rosette, it was drift from spraying.  I advise consumers all the time that you may not be using it but someone is.  Glyphosates don’t stay where they are intended.  They creep wherever they want to go.

That is why you can’t spray on your property and not wonder if you are the culprit that is causing damage to someone else’s property.  Glyphosates are meant to kill whatever it touches.  We are harming the environment and harming ourselves.

Roses bring me such joy and I know they bring joy to anyone that plants them.  While it is snowing this winter dream of all the ways that you can tend your property without using glyphosates.  If you didn’t get your roses cut back in the fall that’s okay February/March timeframe is a good time for that.  Always trim branches that go from the outside in.  You want to make sure that your bush can breathe.  That helps to promote a disease free (blackspot) bush.

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