Question
Dear Lynette,  I live in the outskirts of Rome, don't know if that can help you much!  Winters are pretty cold but I would say that spring and summer are similar to northern California weather (I'm from California).  My problem is a red rose tree I planted two years ago.  It seems very healthy, the leaves are fine and the flowers bloomed beautifully.  It also had a number of small buds on it (about 10) until yesterday when I noticed they were bending over. When I just barely touched them they broke off!   I notice they seem to have a tiny cut on the stem near the bud.  I can't see any insects on it that could have done this.  Any ideas?  I always use non-chemical cures if I can.  Thanks so much,  Chris

Answer
The tiny little rose pest called a rose midge is the culprit. It lays it's eggs at the base of the rose bud and that is the tiny cut you see. When the eggs hatch they start eating the inside and this kills the buds. They bend over because the water and nutrients can't get to them as they are blocked by the incision. However there could be another possibility and that is birds as some seem to really like to peck the buds off. The last and final thing I can think of is that the buds were killed during the winter but if that was the cause, they would not appear to be healthy. To get rid of rose midge, try using horticultural oil as a spray as that will smother the eggs and the larvae. Hope this helps. Also take off any buds or flowers that are deformed as the insects will still be in them.