Dorset,
United Kingdom 
I have a white climbing rose against a wall in my garden. Last year most of the leaves dropped off and I was told it was red spider mite. The rose was treated but did not really recover in that it did not produce any more flowers or leaves. Is it likely to get red spider again this year. There was a heavy frost and snow - would that have killed them off. The branches of the tree seem healthy at the moment though as it is february no leaves have yet appeared. I would be grate ful for advice. Thank you in advance. I live in southern england
On plant
dont know what the rose is called
5 Feb, 2011
I have been fighting with spider mites this winter myself! First, I would recommend stripping off all the old leaves when you prune, and giving it a good spraying with dormant oil. When the new shoots are several cm long, spray or dust with wettable sulfur powder, and repeat that a week later. After that, wash the leaves weekly with plain water--that encourages predatory mites, and makes it harder for the spider mites to hide. If the spider mites gain the upper hand anyway, spray thoroughly with insecticidal soap, or organic dish soap, and then go back to hosing off with plain water. The chemicals available nowadays simply seem to kill off the mite predators, while the spider mites come back stronger! Good luck!
5 Feb, 2011