Question
QUESTION: Some of my Knock Outs are lush and produce tons of blooms.  Most, however, leafed out in the spring, bloomed, and then became skeletal looking as they lost almost all of their leaves.  They will still produce a few blooms, but the bushes look baren without leaves.  I can't find a cause for this.  I don't see any bugs, or mold.  They are in full sun all day.  We live in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.  This happened last year and again this year.  I can't find anyone else having this problem on the Internet.

ANSWER: Roses drop their leaves mainly for the following reason. Not enough water or too much water. Change in weather to high heat. Lots of rain and no sunshine. So if there is no signs of a rose disease and you can't see any bugs, the only answer is an animal. Deer, rabbits, squirrels and underground pests such as voles, all eat rose leaves. Could that be the problem?

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QUESTION: They did this last year, and it was a coolish & rainy summer.  This year it is very hot, but normal rainfall.  So, I don't think water is the issue.  They sit inside of a 4ft. chainlink fence, so I don't think it would be deer or any other animal.  I've never heard of voles.  How do I check to see if that's the problem?  Also, I have seen some very thin spider webs on a few, but I figured spiders spun these after the leaves came off.  Thank you for your time and ideas on this!

Answer
When you say the roses lost their leaves, does this mean that they dropped off or is there some of the leaf parts remaining? Roses, if growing well, only usually drop their leaves because the roots are under stress. The stress can be caused by a few things  and high heat is one of them.  I am getting many question concerning the Knock Out roses and why they drop their leaves.  It almost looks like a failing in these roses when they go under even a little stress. Knock Outs also seem to be annoyed if you spray them with a 3 in 1 type of rose spray and will drop their leaves. Why, I honestly don't know, they just do.  I am concerned that some of your rose are doing very well while others are not. Is there a difference where they are planted? Are there certain trees near by that may have been sprayed even a walnut tree which will cause problems with roses. There are so many reasons why you could have these problem.Because I can be there are see them, all I can do is give information to you and have you be my eyes.  Also, try looking up Rose Spider Mites on Google as these tiny spider will suck the juices out of plant leaves.