Robert66 said: Well everyone
I talked to Peter and he blamed me for the condition my Zeus rose arrived basically.
Not impressed by his ethics.
Will not take any responsibility for the plant, diseased or not.
Was very defensive and seemed uncaring.
Would not look at photos of plant 2 days after I received it.
Well buyer beware.
Still would appreciate any other helpful tips for this rose.
I will do my best to help it survive and thrive.
Thank you all
Robert.
I am very surprised. I've met Peter at his garden and he was a lovely guy. He has a good reputation and I'm sorry he acted as he did. Did you read my earlier post about me pruning down my Firefighter to below the dark patches? Since you are in Texas you may be able to still plant it and give it some protection if you get a cold spell. I would leave the healthy stems alone and prune below the dark spots. If you plant it put some nice amendments in the soil and mulch, or, repot it in a larger pot till spring. Then I would send Peter an email telling him that you showed these pics in this forum and how some of us felt there was a health issue with the plant and how disappointed in him you are. But, that's what I would do. Wishing you the best with this rose. What kind of climbing rose is it? I've never heard the name before.
As far as the powdery mildew goes, just remove those affected leaves and give it a light spray of a teaspoon of baking soda mixed with about 3 cups of water.
