Question: I live here in Tucson at Villa Catalina condos at Sixth Street and Country Club Road. We have a small rose garden with some beautiful flowers. My problem is some of our larger flowers don’t fully open. I get a very large ball, very tight, but will not open. Then there are flowers next to them, and they open nicely. Any ideas?
Answer: There are a couple possible answers to this problem. If the rose buds that don’t open appear unhealthy, possibly with a browning on the edges, there are known diseases and insects that can affect them. If the buds appear to be healthy, a more likely problem is environmental stress. According to local rose expert and master gardener volunteer, Lauren Kettenbach, this time of year that is a common problem. Before Thanksgiving there was some pretty cold weather, and then it got warm again. So it could be weather-related, and it’s also very late in the season to have any blooms at all. I would not worry unless there is a problem with the spring bloom.
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Peter L. Warren is the urban horticulture agent for the Pima County Cooperative Extension and the University of Arizona. Questions may be emailed to tucsongardensage@gmail.com