Georgia rose growers know all too well the devastation that black spot can wreak on roses. Planting roses resistant to black spot is the best way to avoid problems. The following article lists some of the most disease-resistant roses for the South.

MANAGE ROSE BLACK SPOT WITH DISEASE-TOLERANT CULTIVARS
By John Hartman, University of Kentucky Plant Pathologist

Roses are a popular landscape and garden plant in Kentucky. Black spot, caused by the fungus Diplocarpon rosae, is the most important foliar disease of roses in Kentucky. It is a serious problem every year under our warm, humid growing conditions. Infected leaves become spotted, turn yellow and drop from the plant. This defoliation decreases plant energy reserves and results in reduced flowering of roses. Kentucky growers wanting to maintain good health of their susceptible rose cultivars are almost obligated to use repeated applications of fungicides throughout the growing season. If rose growers could grow genetically resistant or disease tolerant roses, they would benefit from improved performance and reduced fungicide use.

Rose cultivars are evaluated for disease reactions. Plant Pathologists from around the U.S. periodically evaluate rose cultivars for their reaction to black spot disease. The following black spot-resistant rose lists were assembled from reports of evaluations done in Virginia, Louisiana, Florida, Texas, and Washington. Some of these test results were printed in recent issues of Biological and Cultural Tests for Control of Plant Diseases, an annual journal published by the American Phytopathological Society. Many of these cultivars are also listed in the publication Pest Resistant Ornamental Plants by Deborah C. Smith-Fiola of the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Service.

Disease reactions can vary from one location to another depending on disease pressure. Cultivars with resistance may still develop symptoms under high disease pressure, but they survive black spot without much damage to the plant. It is possible for rose disease resistance to break down due to the black spot fungus adapting to the plant’s resistance, so resistance can be lost. Nevertheless, the roses listed here should perform well during most Kentucky disease outbreaks and with less fungicide than most roses.

Black spot resistant hybrid tea roses:

Alec’s Red
Auguste Renoir
Bride’s Dream,
Canadian White Star
Carla
Cary Grant
Cayenne
Charlotte Armstrong
Chrysler Imperial
Dainty Bess
Duet
Electron*
Elina
Elizabeth Taylor
First Prize
Forty Niner
Frederic Mistral
Granada
Great Scott
Helmut Schmidt*
Just Joey*
Keepsake*
Lady
Lady Rose
Lady X
Las Vegas*
Love and Peace
Marilyn Monroe
Marijke Koopman
Mikado
Miss All-American Beauty
Mister Lincoln
Nantucket
New Day*
Olympiad
Otto Miller
Pascale
Peace
Peggy Rockefeller
Peter Frankenfeld*
Peter Mayle
Pink Peace
Polarstern*
Portrait
Precious Platinum*
Princess of Monaco
Pristine
Proud Land
Sheer Bliss
Silver Jubilee*
Smooth Lady
Sunbright
Sutters Gold
Tansinnroh
The McCartney Rose
Tiffany
Tropicana
Uncle Joe
Voodoo*

Black spot resistant floribunda and grandiflora roses:

Angel Face
Betty Prior
Bill Warriner
Bonica*
Brass Band
Candelabra
Carousel
Cathedral
Charlotte Ann
City of London
Class Act
Escapade
Europeana*
Fashion
First Edition
First Kiss
French Lace
Gene Boerner
Goldilocks
Gruss an Aachen
Hot Cocoa
Iceberg*
Impatient*
Ivory Fashion
Koricole
Lavaglut
Livin’Easy
Love*
Matangi*
Mirandy
Montezuma
Nearly Wild
New Year*
Orangeade
Pink Parfait
Playboy*
Playgirl*
Pretty Lady
Prima Donna
Prominent
Queen Elizabeth
Razzle Dazzle
Red Gold*
Regensburg*
Rose
Parade
Sarabande*
Sexy Rexy*
Showbix*
Simplicity
Sonia
Sun Flare
Sunsprite
Tournament of Roses*
Trumpeter*
Viva*.

Black spot resistant shrub roses: Shrub roses are normally pretty resistant to black spot disease. There are many more black spot resistant cultivars than those listed here.

Alba Meidiland
All That Jazz
Baby Love
Belinda’s Dream
Caldwell Pink
Carefree Beauty
Carefree Delight
Carefree Sunshine
Carefree Wonder
Distant Drums
Else Poulsen
George Vancouver
Harrison’s Yellow
Katy Road Pink
Knock Out
Mrs. R. M. Fincn
Prairie Harvest
Prairie Sunrise
Robusta
Sea Foam
Simon Fraser
Simplicity
Sir Thomas Lipton
The Fairy
Wanderin’ Wind
Winter Sunset.

Black spot resistant climbing roses:

Dortmund*
Dublin Bay*
Eden
John Davis
New Dawn
Pinkie
Prosperity
Rambling Red
Red Climber
Royal Sunset*
William Baffin.

Black spot resistant miniature roses:

Always a Lady
Angel Darling
Anytime
Apricot Twist
Baby Betsy McCall
Beauty Secret
Black Jade
Centerpiece
Cinderella
Cuddles
Deep Velvet
Green Ice
Gourmet Popcorn
Jennifer
Linville
Little Artist
Loving Touch
Magic Carrousel
Minnie Pearl
Old Glory
Pacesetter
Queen City
Rainbow’s End
Red Cascade
Red Flush
Rose Gilardi
Simplex
Singles Better
Sweet Pickins
Watercolor and Work of Art.

Black spot resistant Rugosa hybrid roses: Rugosa roses are normally resistant to black spot disease. These and other cultivars should do well.

Blanc double de Coubert
F. J. Grookendorst
Frau Dagmar Hartopp
Linda Campbell
Polyantha
Rugosa Alba
Rugosa Magnifica
Rugosa Rubra
Rosecraie de l’Hay
The Fairy
Therese Bugnet.

*Also resistant to powdery mildew and rust diseases.