In article .com,
John Edgar wrote:
: We planted Rose Tequilla Sunrise about 4/5 years ago. After cutting
: back this spring, it has decided to give up the ghost and is quite
: dead. Why would this happen? All our other roses are fine and growing
: like mad

There isn't honey fungus in the soil is there? Boot lace type of fungi
under the soil

Haven't seen any, no mushrooms either, and all the other roses and
plants within feet of it are doing fine.

Please get a proper newsreader or edit your posts manually.

People seem to think that honey fungus is the primary soil-borne
pathenogenic fungus, largely because of the nonsense talked by the
media, but that is not true. It is one of a huge number.

If you dig the plant up, and the roots are covered with a WHITISH
network and smell mushroomy, then it has been killed by one of the
more common ones. No, I don't know what they are - and there are
probably hundreds that match that description. The solution is the
same in all cases (including for honey fungus):

Dig the soil over to improve drainage and remove the roots of
the rose. Attempting to sterilise the soil is almost certainly
futile.

Don't plant another of the Rosaceae there (no, not apples, plums,
rowan etc. as well as roses). Generally, if a plant in family X
dies, avoid all plants of family X.

Plant a container-grown plant, not a bare-root or containerised
one, because fungi often get in through damaged roots.

If you have a positive identification of the fungus (either
black bootlaces or a fruiting body), plant something known to be
resistant to it. Otherwise don't worry.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.