Suggestions for disease resistant roses anyone?

Hi, I'd like to know which roses, in your experience, have proved to be disease resistant.

I'll start planting this fall and I wanted to get this right because I'd rather not have to spray.

I appreciate the beautiful pictures you have posted and have taken notes on Hornbeams disease resistant Historic Roses and Jazid's Ferdinand Prichard.

Thanks for your advice!

 

Hi FrancesB
If you look at the roses I am posting under the "Roses coming out" topic you will see some more that I have had for many years and never sprayed. It seems to me that a healthy rose with a healthy life style is very much like you and me. If we have a good home, good food, enough (but not too much) to drink and plenty of fresh air then we are resistant to disease. If we eat nothing but junk food full of additives, drink cola or booze, take no exercise and breathe polluted air - then our immune system is weakened and we sicken.

So it is with roses. If they are given high energy concentrated chemical food - they will spurt, grow soft and lush instead of firm and strong. Chemical sprays against aphids, black spot, mildew etc is exactly the same as dosing your children with medicines and antibiotics. They'll weaken and have no natural immunity

The answer really does lie in a healthy chemical free soil (their home). Dig in plenty of humus or lay it on the surface as a mulch. Feed with pelleted chicken manure or similar. Don't prune too much as infection can get into the wounds. Prune just enough to prevent stems rubbing and to allow the flow of fresh air. A few greenfly won't hurt and there are plenty of birds, beetles and flies that will eat them. If you get a heavy infestation on a few buds - just wipe or spray them off with water from a hose. :D

 

Thanks Hornbeam
I really appreciate your advice and will check the Roses coming out topic.
I think your advice is very wise and I must say that up until our property and plants were abandoned to their own devices everything was nice and healthy. Once the surrounding properties have been bought up by a wine making company that has started using chemicals on their grape vines, I have noticed some of my own once happy, healthy plants becoming sick. The nut tree and fig have come down with a severe case of aphids and the bay tree has come down with scale.
Strange coincidence, isn't it!?

 

Interesting what you say about about the grape vine neighbours using chemicals. We've noticed that now the orange orchards are sprayed regularly, we've had more of a pest problems ... my husband says they come over to us to escape the chemicals!

 

I would add that disease resistance in the UK is unlikely to be equivalent to that in Italy, the growing conditions are so different. Roses may require more water and heat stress resistance, and their growing season will be quite different. You might be advised to wander around a couple of local gardens and ask whoever looks after them for advice.