Picking Leaves Off Roses

Simon and Ali spent a few hours this afternoon removing leaves that haven't fallen off some of the roses. The theory behind this, attained by Simon after recently attending a rose care course, is that by removing the old leaves it prevents fungal spores, such as black spot, from spreading to the new leaves as they emerge in the spring. By taking time to remove the leaves the need to use a chemical fungicide to spray the roses should be reduced.