What Shrubs Can Replace My Diseased Roses?
![azalea Encore pink | Walter Reeves: The Georgia Gardener rose shrub replacement](https://t9e4s3i5.rocketcdn.me/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/azalea-Encore-pink-600x398.jpg)
Q: I saw your Facebook post about watching for rose rosette disease in spring. Once I have dug and destroyed mine, what can I replace them with?
A: There are several good substitutes for a shrub rose. Dwarf abelia (‘Rose Creek’, ‘Kaleidoscope’, ‘Radience’, etc) works very well. Small gardenia (‘Jubilation’, ‘Radicans’, ‘Frost proof’, etc) are evergreen and scented. The Encore series of azaleas give a wide variety of flower color and bloom times. Small shrubs that lose their leaves in winter include weigela, dwarf butterfly bush, and dwarf crapemyrtle.