Rosebuds dropping off.
Wakou
Posts: 21
Hallo green-fingered people. I have a medium garden and am a very unenthusiastic gardener. I have joined the forum hoping to get some advice. For my first post:
In my front garden I have a mature rose. It has suffered from neglect, but struggles gamely on, especially since I have been pruning off any diseased looking bits, and dead-heading regularly, it has perked up considerably. However in the last few weeks, the buds have been dropping off just as they are about to open. They look as if they have been cut quite cleanly, just below the bud cover part (sepal?). Could this be disease? Mice/other rodents? Other pests? It is most unlikely that a neighbour has been sneaking out in the hours of darkness to snip them off. I have done nothing to upset them (I occasionally snip a sprig of rosemary for the lamb chops from across the wall!)
No photos yet, I can put some up later.
I have a different issue, with another rose, I shall post a seperate thread for that one...
Posts
Got sparrows, Wakou?
!! Do we know each other!! ???
(I guess not, but it did make me jump a little, as my my nickname is.. Sparrow!)
But to answer you.. there are some House Sparrows, but very few, I rarely see them. There are dunnocks, but rarely in the front garden (not enough cover, I guess)
There are wood pigeons and collared doves.
It's my guess that it is your rarely-seen namesakes. Either that or it's a caterpillar. Are the buds still lying on the ground? If so, do the snipped ends look a bit hollowed out (caterpillar) or just cut(my guess birds)?
Interesting, IIRC, they are quite clean cuts. This only happens on one bush, but I possibly have not been paying as much attention to the others. I am going out in the rain now to gather evidence.