On Thu, 07 Jun 2007 01:51:41 GMT, "chicagorose" u34858@uwe wrote:

...last year one rose bush produced no blooms (but
otherwise looks perfectly healthy). This year, the rose bushes on either
side of it ALSO look like they're producing no blooms (yet look otherwise
healthy), and we're fearing that something is spreading from the original
plant. What might be causing this...?

This most likely sounds to me like a pruning problem. If these are
once blooming older roses, the problem is that you could be cutting
off the growth that produces the blooms when you prune.

Once blooming roses bloom on the branches that are produced from the
previous season. The phrase used in the rose world is that this type
of rose blooms on 'old wood'.

These older once blooming varieties for this reason should only be
pruned in the summer after the bloom is over, and while there is still
a lot of growing season remaining.

Other things causing no blooming are not enough sunlight, poor
nutrition and general plant stress or the application of a Nitrogen
only lawn fertilizer (which causes leaf growth only).

Rest assured that there is no disease or pest that can cause the
problem you describe. It is not 'catching'.

Have a good one,

Bob Bauer
http://www.rose-roses.com/