This is a great thread, thank you for starting it Tucker. Maybe someone out there can help me with a gardening problem that's driving me crazy!

About three years ago a friend's mother gave me a cutting from what she said is an 'old-fashioned' rose bush. That single cutting has turned into a wonderful bushy shrub. It's seemingly very healthy, has beautiful leaves, puts out several new shoots a year and produces lots of buds.

The trouble is that not one bud has matured into a flower. One day everything seems fine, the next there are green worms/caterpillars burrowing into or out of the bud (I can't tell which) and eating the inside of the bud. I've sprayed but that didn't do any good.

I've looked through rose books, garden books and web-sites and haven't seen this problem mentioned. I've even posted my question to garden chat lines and had not one reply.

I'm almost desperate to see this bush in flower, can anyone help?

Duckboots (using a friend's computer)