anyone have experience with 'reine de violet' roses?

it's just always acted so strangely. it has a habit of developing bloom buds which turn yellow and die well before opening. now an entire platform branch has wilted and is dying, while the rest of the bush, and all my other roses, thrive. it is outdoors, gets plenty of water and nutrients. is this typical of this variety, or is this specimen defective?

2007-07-21T12:26:12Z

only a third of the bloom buds fail. the rest blooms just fine.

2007-07-23T14:52:12Z

no sign of wood borer--no holes. however, another rose has abig hole at the base, with earwigs living inside. i flooded them out and jammed twigs tightly into the hole. what now?

Anonymous2007-07-28T02:55:06Z

Favorite Answer

They are nice flowers !!

Sptfyr2007-07-21T13:42:11Z

Hi Ella, Your rose is a hybrid perpetual and does not behave this way normally. I suspect that you have an insect problem. Specifically a rose borer problem. Without seeing the rose it is difficult to say for sure, but the symptoms you've presented sound just like a rose borer. Anyhow, prune the branch and see if there is a hole down the center of the cane. If there is then continue to prune down the cane until you've pruned past the pest. If it is a borer make sure you put a flat headed tack in the top of the newly pruned cane to keep other borers from entering again. I hope this is of some help. Good luck.