Real beauty is
in the fragility
of your petals.
A rose that never wilts
isn't a rose at all.
...Crystal Woods
Well, I do enjoy my pink polka dot roses. All four of our rose bushes were full of white, pale pink or pretty polka dot pink roses.
Then I found out the pink spots are caused by a fungal disease called botrytis cinerea. Oh noooo! The pink spots are the response to the infection. It is brought on by rain and lack of air circulation. The infection can spread to the stem and below so the blooms should be removed as soon as possible.
I decided to go ahead and prune the four iceberg rose plants, deadhead the spotted roses and removed anything that looked suspect. Botrytis is fungal, has spores and can spread.
We also need to treat with neem oil again for I saw a few Japanese beetles. This seems to happen right before Mother's Day so there are only a few blooms left.
Oh my. I had no idea. Botrytis is something allergy testing says I am allergic too. And I alway thought I loved the pink spots. Thanks for the info. The image is beautiful and I like the focus.
Very nice capture and focus. How sad it is to have to prune the roses at this time of the year when you have been waiting so long to see them bloom. If it weren't for the infection the spots look attractive.
