Question
Hi.  I am from Woodbridge, New Jersey.

I planted three knockout roses in early summer which were partially knocked down by "Irene".  So I pruned them, and since they were growing bigger I moved them a little bit more inside of the plot.  And when I started pushing away the mulch on them, I saw somewhat like "quail eggs" (big and small) around each bush.  And not only that, almost all the mulch around them and the other plants close to them were covered with white stuff.  I really didn't know what it was!  I got scared, so I asked my husband to help me dispose of all the mulch, and I have been holding off putting in new ones.  Now the leaves of the roses are getting yellowish and look dying - probably because the roots got shaken.

I have not had a chance to go to Lowe's or Home Depot. So I thought of checking on the internet.  What do you think - do they have a disease?  What are those "quail egg-looking" stuff?  Thanks so much for your advice.

Answer
What an unpleasant experience for you. If the eggs were large then they would not be from an insect. Most are either the size of cooked rice or tiny peas. I would guess that they were in the mulch before you got it. Mulch from a place where they grow mushrooms many times has tiny mushrooms in it which could look like eggs when they are starting to grow from seed. The white is probably a fungus that many times grows in damp, dark material. You are right, the roses are re-acting to the storm plus being disturbed. All roses hate to be moved and will go into stress because of it. I would cut the roses right back to about 6 inches as the roots cannot support anything larger at this time.  Keep the roses where they are don't fertilize them as the roots will not be able to take it up until they settle in again. When you see new growth starting give them some liquid fish fertilizer as this is like chicken soup to a rose. I would also place them where they don't get any hot sun just morning and late afternoon. Hot sun is something else that puts roses under stress. I am sure they will come back it will just take a few weeks before you see any results from your efforts.