Frank Brines, Master RosarianSpecial to the Valley NewsGardeners have been experiencing more rose diseases and critters never before seen in the southwest Riverside County region. Many are caused by invasive pests hitching rides on planes and ships from faraway regions, often with disastrous results. One recent example, in my opinion, is the cancellation of the Palm Desert Rose Show in November 2022 because major exhibitors said their roses had suffered severe damage from chilli thrips fostered by unseasonably high fall temperatures. To the best of my knowledge, it was the first such cancellation in my nearly 40 years of growing roses in the Pacific Southwest.The chilli thrips are spreading rapidly in the southwest and are becoming a global threat to roses. It is even smaller t
