Question
I have 3 Pope John Paul the 2nd rose bushes. Many of the buds are turning brown and not opening up. Some open partially and still have the brown edges. Only a few open all the way. We've had a lot of rain lately. Can that be part of the problem or is it pest/disease? Thanks so much!

Answer
Pope John Paul is a very good rose with a wonderful fragrance and should do well for you. If it isn't, then there are two reason why it is going brown. One definitely could be the rain as a large amount of constant rain makes the buds rot, go brown and then fall off. The other possibility could be Rose Midges. You can easily find out if it is by opening one of the buds and if you see tiny worms in them then those are rose midges.  But I am sure it is the rain. but please get back to me if there are insects in the buds.