Question
Hi, I also live in Katy, Tx, and am having problems with these rose bushes. I've had pretty good luck all summer with an abundant of flowers, but this past month, they are pretty sparse and leaves dropping and what leaves are left are freckled with black spots. HELP!!!!!!

Answer
Hi Terrie-

These types of roses are black-spot tolerant and black-spot resistant, so I wouldn't worry.  Right now these roses are dealing with heat and water stress, which lowers their resistance to blackspot -but they weather blackspot very well and will shake it off eventually - probably when the weather gets cooler.  Make sure the roses get plenty of water.  If you want you can spray with a fungicide to help with the blackspot - once a week.  Foliage growth reduction and leaf drop could be a result of not enough water, and the high temps. Usually in this area, roses kind of go dormant in the summertime.  Roses are like people - they don't like to come out in the hot weather.  My own Knockout roses aren't blooming as much right now either (except for one that is in part-shade and gets plenty of water).  I would wait to fertilize in about a month.  By then the temps should be down a bit.  Usually in our area - the best months for roses are fall, early to mid winter, and spring.  If my roses bloom at all in the summertime - I count myself lucky.  Usually I have plenty of roses for cutting and bringing indoors, but right now there aren't a lot blooming.  I have about 80 rose bushes.  I believe it is because it hasn't rained much lately, the high temps and also because I stopped fertilizing (to reduce heat and water stress).  I am patient though, and I know that in about a month, the roses will be blooming better when it gets cooler.  Don't worry - Knockout Rose and Nearly Wild roses are the toughest roses there are.  They should recover.

Good luck-

Carlene