New Leaves curling up on Roses

Question

Hello,

I am new to gardening and I purchased some roses from the nursery.

I have planted them into my garden soil.

After a week or so there are new leaves and branches but they are curling up and deformed (slightly black too).

Some rose buds just die before they bloom.

Images:
https://preview.ibb.co/f9xZLb/IMG_20170930_172937_HDR.jpg
https://preview.ibb.co/caSODw/IMG_20171001_104925_HDR.jpg

Can someone please tell me what the issue is with this plants?

Thanks a lot.

Answer 1

I don’t see anything too worrisome. Maybe a minor pest is active. Look at new buds and check the small stem to them. This is where aphids hang around and suck the juices going to the bud. They are small, don’t move much and are hard to see initially. Or your rose may be suffering from transplant shock. If it was in a sheltered location and now is in full sun, it is a jolt to the plant. Roses need at least 6 hours of direct sunlight. If they were inside or sheltered from hot afternoon sun, it would have benefitted form a week or two of increasing time in the sun. I’m a little troubled by the cardboard seen in one photo. I’m not a fan of lasagna gardening for roses. You need to start with good soil, not count on layers of leaves, cardboard and dirt to compost into good soil. And fresh cardboard makes it hard for water to penetrate. If you didn’t dig and improve the soil with compost before planting, I’d dig up the rose gently and do it now. I’m also concerned about how close it is to the house. Very often the soil next to houses is quite alkaline from cement products. If that is a south or west-facing wall, it will reflect a lot of heat onto the rose. Being close also impairs good air circulation which is vital to preventing disease. The yellowing of the leaves may mean the plant is not finding the nutrients it needs. Read more here: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/roses/yellow-rose-leaves.htm