Question
I am in central SC with 20 bushes.  Never hadthe buds look shriveled and develope brown tinges on the edges of the flower, also smaller flowers than other years.  Can you help?

Answer
Hi, Mary--this is one of two insect pests--either rose midge or more likely thrips.  Prune the bush back a bit to remove the affected blooms--go down to the second 5 leaflet on the stem and cut on a slant just above it.  When new buds form, mist them with some type of insecticide, organic or non-organic.  Do this every 3-4 days until they open--this should take care of the problem.

For more information, visit the American Rose Society at www.ars.org.  There are lots of friendly folks on the rose forums at GardenWeb.com, and you can always reach me here!
Margarett in Memphis