Rosa 'Ausdecorum' syn. Rosa 'Darcey Bussell'

28/07/19 - anyone noticed an increase in sawfly activity? They are ferocious this year, already digested two of my roses in the back garden and now they are on my new roses on the porch! As fast as I pick them off more appear within days, never had a problem till this year 😡😭😭 #rosesawfly #rose-pestcontrol #sawfly #sawflylarvae #pests #argepagana #arge-pagana

Jeez, Richard, that's a serious infestation 😟😳😳😕

No. That's awful. Maybe you could try something more aggressive like spraying with neem oil. Would that help your poor roses?

I had moth caterpillars on ragwort. Beautiful they were. Red an black stripes

Oh no that’s bad..I’ve not seen any here in the garden or on the allotments thank goodness! 😳😔

I know JP, I feel like the roses are against me this year.... 😕 if it’s not pests, is something else.... @jpea

I've heard there were more of them this year but I haven't noticed any in my garden. There's something eating my sweet peas though that look like squiggles 😰

How awful ‼️😳

Thanks Laura, I’ve been hesitant to use chemicals (organic or inorganic) as just too much other beneficials at risk in the garden. I’ve been cutting off the impacted foliage or picking them off manually and leaving them in a saucer for the robins. Struggling with blackfly too on a few others. @columbiariver

Same with me @judrop , I’ve left the cinnabar moth caterpillars on my ragwort too - I don’t mind those as they only eat the ragwort, and they do look pretty so I treat them as a beneficial 😀👍🏼

That’s good Michelle, they are quick, will completely defoliate a rose in a few days 😳😥 @mich

Glad to know you consider all the critters. I'd be pulling my hair out Rich 💚

23/05/19 - I took out the lantanas from the pots on the porch last autumn to make way for some Christmas decorations, but didn’t know what to put back in its place as my lantana cuttings didn’t take (however.... the original plant has defied all odds and is coming back into leaf after spending all winter in an unheated polytunnel 😳🤔🤷🏼‍♂️ where it regularly went to minus figures - it’s a mystery how that survived!)

Anyways, me and the OH decided to go for a rose each side, so we’ve bought two Darcey Bussell shrub roses. Other one is on the other side of the door 🌹

I’m sure it’ll look fabulous.....it’s a great colour...💞

They’ll look fab against the dark grey door! 👌🏼

Thanks Elaine, some buds forming, and right on queue the aphids have flown in, but hoping it will look lovely after a bit of 🔫 before they open @wagsmomthompsonbtinternetcom

That’s my plan Rach - the front is exclusively whites, reds, yellows and oranges.... well except the lady bacon fuchsia but it’s only got a bit of purple in it 💜 , and a random silver Elaeagnus 🤷🏼‍♂️ @rachelbrooks