What's eating my veilchenblau rose?

Veilchenblau is a nearly thornless rambler with excellent disease resistance, but aphids still target its lush spring growth and sawfly larvae can skeletonise leaflets. Powdery mildew is a minor risk in dry conditions. Because it only blooms once, a spring aphid surge during that single flush can noticeably reduce flowering quality.

Soft shoot tips and bud clusters colonised, producing honeydew and distorted flowering laterals during the single spring bloom. Rub off by hand or spray with insecticidal soap; target early so the single flush is not compromised.

Translucent windows or fully stripped leaflets; pale green larvae gregarious on leaf undersides from late spring. Hand-pick larvae; apply spinosad or pyrethrin spray if more than a few leaflets are affected.

White dusty coating on new growth and young leaves after flowering, more common in warm, dry summers. Ensure adequate watering; apply potassium bicarbonate spray; prune for airflow after summer flowering finishes.