Question
hi,
I live in Kitsap County, Washington, between Bremerton and Poulsbo in zone 8a.  

Indigo has yellowish leaves with green veining, both in its new growth and old leaves.  Thinking the problem is iron deficiency, I added milorganite which has iron.  No change.  Then I added some commercial fertilizer with added micronutrients.  No change.   Marie Pavie is within ten feet of Indigo and has beautiful foliage, so I don't think it is a pH problem, as I know that MP is sensitive to alkaline conditions.

Last night it hit me that there are two concrete paving blocks within a foot or so from Indigo.  Could 12 inch concrete paving blocks affect the soil enough to cause these problems in Indigo?  If it's not that I really am puzzled.  Thanks for any help or ideas.   I moved the blocks.  I don't know what else exactly to do.

Answer
Roses are not the same in regards to the tolerance of certain chemicals. Some will re-act to just a small amount while others sit in lime and don't complain. In my garden,Indigo is a peevish rose  and re-acts to too much rain or wind but that could just be my area. It is a policy to never pant roses close to the foundation of a house as the lime will in time leak out and change the PH of the soil around it. Although Milorganite does have some iron in it, if the rose has an iron problem, then using a liquid iron would be the way to go. It was a wise idea to move the blocks because if they were put there in the last year or two that could be causing the problem.Lack of magnesium or iron in a rose can make the leaves look similar.  If it is an iron problem in a rose the new top leaves always show discolouring first. If it is a magnesium problem, then it will be the bottom or older leaves that go yellow first. Epson Salts will sole that problem.