Question
I have 1 plant, almost black rose mail order, that is 5 years old and has never produced a single healthy bud. They just form, them the outside turns black & starts to rot & die. I cut it way back last fall & it is now doing it all over again. No moldy stuff, the cane on parts of it are dark but not black, more gray. I found 2 spittle bugs, afids, spider mites & we do have stink bugs.
Now I have another rose doing the same thing. Oddly enough I pruned it too last fall so I probably contaminated it. What would be best to use to handle everything? Or should I just tear them out & start over?

Thanks so much!
Lori

Answer
There are two reasons that you rose buds acted the way they did.
One is the rose midge that causes the tips and tiny buds of the rose stem to wither, blacken and die. A bad infestation may leave an entire rose garden without blossoms. Spray the foliage, and particularly the tips of the rose stems, with a recommended insecticide on a regular basis for the rest of the growing season.
Botrytis Blight is caused by the fungus Botrytis cinerea. The disease causes flower buds to droop and remain closed. Buds turn brown and decay. Sometimes partially opened buds are attacked, and even an entire flower may be covered by gray fungus.
It does sound more like the rose midge to me. These insects are so tiny so make sure you also spray under the leaves and the tips well. I would also cut the rose canes back until the insides look like  green apple. The green colour shows that the canes are healthy. Midges can be hard to get rid of so keep an eye out for them next year. Pruning won't spread the midges and the other insects don't do very much damage to the roses. Hope this helps.