RosaPedia · Diagnostic ToolWhat’s wrong with
What’s wrong with
your rose?
Work through a few simple questions — and pictures — to identify common rose problems and find a practical approach.
Where do you see the problem?
Choose the part of the rose that looks wrong
If more than one area is affected, start with the most obvious symptom.
Flowers & Buds
Buds not opening, missing, mouldy, wrong colour, or petals damaged
Leaves & New Growth
Spots, yellowing, holes, coatings, or insects on foliage
Stems, Canes & Crown
Lesions, galls, unusual growths, blackening, or dieback on woody parts
Whole Plant / General Decline
Poor flowering, wilting, stunting, or collapse of the entire plant
Flowers & Buds
What is the main issue with the buds or blooms?
Tap the picture that best matches what you see.
Stem or bud missing entirely
Clipped cleanly or torn off; whole flower-bearing stems gone
Tiny buds blackening & falling
Bent “matchstick” tips; buds crisp before opening
Fuzzy gray mould on petals
Outer petals fused shut; fluffy gray growth; cool wet weather
Petals brown or fused, no mould
Bloom fails to open; waterlogged; soft brown
Streaked or scratched petals
Silver-brown streaks; tiny fast-moving insects inside buds
Outer petals brown, inside fine
Uniform browning only on exposed outer petals
Single stem ends in leaves, no bud
Healthy shoot that simply never forms a flower
Leaves growing inside the bloom
Leafy vegetative growth emerging from the flower centre
Wrong or unexpected flower colour
Flowers are a different colour than expected or usual
Flowers & Buds · Unexpected Colour
How is the colour different?
Tap the description that best matches the situation.
Paler or deeper than usual — same rose
Colour shifts with season, heat, or cold — flower shape is the same
A shoot that looks different from the rest — and flowers differently too
The stem, leaves, or thorns don’t match your named variety, and neither do the flowers
A normal-looking branch that surprises you with a different flower colour
The shoot looks identical to the rest of the plant — only the bloom colour is different
Leaves & New Growth
What is the main symptom on the leaves?
Tap the picture that best matches what you see. You’ll narrow it down in the next step.
Holes or missing tissue
Portions of leaf eaten away; skeletonised; clean cutouts on margins
Dark spots, blotches, or lesions
Defined dark marks on leaf surface; sometimes with yellow halos
Yellowing or pale patterns
Leaves going yellow — all over, between veins, or in patterns
Surface coatings or fine stippling
White powder, orange pustules, or tiny pale dots on leaf surfaces
Visible insects, sticky residue, or foam
Clusters of bugs, honeydew, sooty mould, or frothy blobs
Leaves · Chewing Damage
What does the damage look like?
Leaves skeletonised
Veins remain; tissue eaten away between them
Large ragged holes; beetles visible
Metallic green or brown beetles feeding openly
Perfect semi-circular cutouts on margins
Clean half-moon shapes on leaf edges only
Leaves · Spots & Lesions
What do the spots look like?
Large dark spots, feathery edges, yellow halo
Fringed black marks; starts on lower leaves
Smaller round spots, tan centres, neat border
Circular lesions with clean defined margins
Angular blotches between veins
Blocky geometric patches; dark purple-brown
Browning on edges and tips only
Marginal scorch; interior of leaf looks healthy
Leaves · Yellowing
Where and how is the yellowing appearing?
Uniform yellowing on lowest leaves only
A few bottom leaves yellow; rest of plant looks fine
Yellow leaf, green veins — new growth worst
Bright yellow with green vein network; youngest leaves most affected
Yellow between veins — older leaves worst
Interveinal chlorosis on mid-plant older foliage
Yellow line patterns, rings, or oak-leaf shapes
Distinctive mosaic or watermark patterns across leaf
Leaves · Coatings & Stippling
What is on the leaf surface?
White powdery coating; blistered leaves
Looks dusted with talc; young growth most affected
Orange pustules underneath; yellow spots above
Bright orange powder on leaf undersides
Fine stippling & webbing; hot dry conditions
Bronzed, dusty look; fine webs on undersides
Coarse stippling; insects jump when disturbed
Pale speckled surface; insects leap from undersides
Black ash-like coating; wipes off easily
Superficial black layer; comes off on a damp finger
Leaves · Insects & Residue
What are you seeing?
Dense clusters of soft bugs on new tips
Green or pink; sticky honeydew; curled leaves
White frothy blobs on stems or leaves
Distinct foam masses; like spittle on the plant
Tiny white insects fly up in a cloud
Erupt when foliage is touched; white powdery insects
Stems, Canes & Crown
What abnormality do you see on the woody parts?
Tap the picture that best matches what you see.
Different-looking shoot from below soil
Vigorous; more thorny; different leaf shape
Dark sunken lesion; cane dead above it
Defined discoloured lesion encircling the cane
Black or brown cane tips after cold weather
Tips dead after frost; healthy wood lower down
Wilting tip; entrance hole in pith
Drooping cane tip; small hole at cut end; hollow inside
Rough woody tumour at soil line
Corky, irregular gall at or below soil level
Spiral swelling midway on the cane
Swollen, distorted section mid-cane
Hyper-thorny red “witches’ broom” growth
Bright red, twisted, excessively thorny new shoots
White or gray crusty bumps on canes
Hard waxy encrustations on bark surfaces
Whole Plant / General Decline
What best describes the overall plant?
Tap the picture that best matches what you see.
Lush foliage but few or no flowers
Plant looks healthy and vigorous — just won’t bloom
Sudden collapse; white fungal growth at base
White mycelium under bark; honey mushrooms possible
Wilting in wet soil; roots dark and mushy
Waterlogged conditions; plant collapses
Wilting — need to check soil and base
Whole plant drooping; cause unclear
Overall stunting or weak growth
Plant much smaller or weaker than expected
Whole Plant · Wilting
Check the soil and the base of the plant
Soil is bone dry; recovers after watering
Clearly related to dry conditions; bounces back
Soil moist; bark chewed at soil line
Adequate moisture but wilting; gnaw marks near base
Whole Plant · Stunting
What are the growing conditions?
Container plant; roots circling tightly
Roots visible at drainage holes; dries out very fast
Graft union buried deep; wet or heavy soil
Never thrived since planting; graft union below soil