ZEPHIRINE DROUHIN CLIMBING ROSE and MILDEW ON ROSES

When I first bought Zephirine Drouhin at the Royal Horticultural Society garden shop at Harlow Carr, I bought it because of the description on the label.  It sounded wonderful.  What the label didn't tell me is that Zephirine Drouhin is susceptible to disease like mildew.  Now, I was replacing a fabulous rambler called Albertine because that rose, apparently a favourite of the late Queen Mother, had vicious thorns and it skewered me once too often.  Because of my balance problem, I fell into it one day and it wasn't funny trying to get back out of it.  So, having chopped down and dug out Albertine, I was looking for a thornless replacement; something that would repeat flower, and have a fantastic perfume, and I found it: Zephirine Drouhin.   When I got home with ZD and read on the internet that it was prone to disease, my little heart sank but I planted it anyway.  I've been careful to keep it well watered and sprayed it against fungus and I don't to tell you the result, you can see for yourself:





Fabulous Zephirine Drouhin

Unfortunately, it says on the label that Zephirine Drouhin needs plenty of sunshine and an open situation.  Mine gets some sunshine but it is planted right in a corner, in the angle between two wooden fencing panels.  That situation is not really ideal to avoid mildew.  Mildew can follow warm days and cold nights and a good degree of air circulating around plants is best. 



Zephirine Drouhin has a perfume to die for.  I picked one solitary bloom that was on a lax branch and touching the dirt, brought it indoors, put it in a vase, and the perfume from that one flower has filled my kitchen.

 

 

I noticed that the neighbouring ash trees seem to be dropping some kind of white, sticky bits on Zephirine Drouhin, (at least, that is where I think it is coming from) as well as on a loganberry vine and my hammock/swing.  Because I understand that fungus likes to adhere to sticky things like the stuff that greenflies exude, I thought it prudent to spray it off early this morning.  It's another lovely day so the morning warmth will soon dry the rose leaves without scorching them, I hope.  Apparently when sunlight hits a drop of water on leaves, the water acts like a magnifier, like glass, and increases the heat until it causes burning!  Otherwise, the advice generally is to try not to wet the leaves when watering this rose.   Of course, there is always the rain...

 

Zephirine Drouhin, young and still healthy

This is what the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) advise about mildew prevention and control without chemical intervention:

1. Avoid the plants becoming dry by watering regularly during dry periods and mulch the soil to help prevent water loss.


2. Climbing and rambling roses should be grown where they can have good air protection (arches etc).  Try to avoid sheltered situations on any type of rose.


3. Feed roses but *avoid too much nitrogen which encourages soft growth which is more prone mildew.


4. Prune out affected shoots, leaves or buds and destroy the infected material. 

And, or, you can use fungicides.   This is what the RHS writes about roses and mildew.



*  I am no expert but I feed my roses with a handful of Toprose (by Bayer) sprinkled around each plant in early spring and summer.  In between, they get the occasional dose of Tomorite (by Levington) which is lower in nitrogen than, say, Miracle Gro (by the Scotts Company), and just now and then a dose of Miracle Gro. 



I feed my flowering hanging baskets with an alternate dose of Tomorite and Miracle Gro.  And my tomatoes get Tomorite and nothing else.  Of course, there are numerous products on the market which are for feeding tomatoes and flowering plants.