Roses have not had a good time of it this year in my garden after the torrential rain which has affected so many gardens this summer. Only now am I getting some decent blooms from R. 'Korresia', R. 'Just Joey' and R. 'Crimson Cascade' for example.

Both R. 'William Shakespeare' and R. 'Pat Austin' have been a disaster throughout, and quite frankly I'm inclined to dig mine up and chuck 'em away! They do appear very weak and unable to hold up their heads on their spindly stems even. This has happened over several years and my patience with these two is just about exhausted. Conversely, 'Just Joey' which is almost identical to 'Pat Austin' in colour and form is a much more robust plant of similar age.