It's Fall in Chicago temps in the 50's an we have already had one frost.
a few of my roses are still blooming and have a lot of new growth. This
is their first year. I've got 2 cimbing roses and 4 standard roses ( I
guess ) What should i do? prune now prune later? Two of my plants seem
to have white mildew. I've treated my roses all year with a systemic
fertilizer insecticide, and disease controller (Beyer). The garden has
had it's three treatments and it has been 4 weeks since the last. Should
I treat again, try something else or see what spring brings? Any help
would be appreciated.

"kathyhc" wrote in message
lkaboutgardening.com...
It's Fall in Chicago temps in the 50's an we have already had one frost.
a few of my roses are still blooming and have a lot of new growth. This
is their first year. I've got 2 cimbing roses and 4 standard roses ( I
guess ) What should i do? prune now prune later? Two of my plants seem
to have white mildew. I've treated my roses all year with a systemic
fertilizer insecticide, and disease controller (Beyer). The garden has
had it's three treatments and it has been 4 weeks since the last. Should
I treat again, try something else or see what spring brings? Any help
would be appreciated.

If you go to the American Rose Society website www.ars.org
you'll find articles on winterizing roses. Look down the front page until
you see the word "articles" and click on it.

Some terminology: a "standard" rose is one that a tall central "stalk".
They are much more sensitive to cold than shrub roses such as Hybrid Teas
and Floribundas which have the bud union cloe to the ground.
You might look at the other ARS articles for the different kinds of roses,
or pick up a relatively cheap book such as Ortho's All About Roses which is
readily available at bookstores and home improvement stores like Home Depot
and Lowes. It helps you to know how to manage your roses if you know what
kind of roses you have.

Re pruning climbers: Generally you shouldn't prune those for a few years.
Again, a good (cheap) rose book will have all this information readily at
hand, as well as the ARS site.

Fertilizing: As cold as it's getting where you are, you shouldn't be
fertilizing now. And I don't use those "systemic" treatments - they can
kill some roses. Better to treat specific problems and use a good general
fertilizer. Again, not now; it's too late in your season.

Gail
near San Antonio TX Zone 8