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Rose rosette virus #937489

Asked July 01, 2026, 12:37 PM EDT

(1) Is this rose roseete virus on our knock out rose bush? (2) If it is - do I need to remove the knock out rose bushes next to it too? (3) we also have a rosa rugosa near it as well - will it get the virus too? Thanks

Montgomery County Maryland

Expert Response

The congested clumps of growth in the first photo do look suspect for Rose Rosette Disease. The other two photos don't appear to show any concerning symptoms (unless you can point out what aspect of those photos you were concerned with); red new growth, for instance, is a normal feature of many rose varieties.

Rose Rosette (and any other plant viral disease) does not have a cure, and affected plants would need to be removed since the infection cannot be pruned out. (The virus may be in tissues that are not yet symptomatic.) Tiny, windblown mites transmit the virus from infected plants (often the weedy, invasive Multiflora Rose that is common to roadsides and fields). While it would not be surprising if neighboring or nearby roses also became infected, it's not guaranteed that they are diseased, so can remain until they develop diagnosable symptoms.

We can't say if the rugosa rose will develop the infection, though from personal experience, we rarely encounter serious health problems in rugosa roses. That said, rugosa roses are invasive, though so far they only spread from seed on the coastal plain where the soils are sandier. (Still, birds eating the hips might travel to suitable habitat and deposit the seeds there.) If the shrub does decline for some reason, we recommend replacing it with another species if possible.

Miri

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