I'm not sure how old this rose is: when we moved here in July 1997, the former owner said that he had, for many years, cut bowls full of Iceberg roses to take to his work. He related that, when he told his co-workers he was going to move, they said, "Oh, no! What about the roses?"
So the Iceberg has been in the ground for, I would guess, at least 15 years, but probably more like 20. It can't be as much as 30 years old (I think...) b/c the previous owner added the driveway and the RV-friendly carport, which construction would have disturbed any plant where the Iceberg is now.
So we have an Iceberg rose, very established, which only this season began to show signs of RMV.
I've been reading on the Internet (.edu, .gov, and .org sites) that RMV is spread by contaminated rootstock, not by tools, the human hand, insects, birds, worms, or wind-borne spores. And also that there's no treatment for it.
So how on earth did this Iceberg harbor the virus for so long without any symptoms? The articles and studies I've read this afternoon all seem to assume that an infected rose will be a young plant and can just be replaced with a new one from the nursery.
That won't work in this case; I'd have a very large, noticeable "hole" in the landscape, both above- and belowground.
This Iceberg is approx. 6 to 7 feet tall, with a spherical outline approx. 7 or 8 feet in diameter. Fairly open in the middle. I pruned it this just past January/February, which is the time for pruning where I live.
Has anyone else experienced RMV in an established rose? How did you deal with it?
Thx.
Cynthia H.
USDA Zone 9, Sunset Zone 17