Christina Websell wrote:
"Ian B" wrote in message
...
The garden has half a dozen rose bushes in it, in various states.
This one is about the saddest looking. It had severe problems with
black spot last year, such that I now informally know it as Typhoid
Mary. http://img594.imageshack.us/i/iansrose.jpg/

So this year I read up about pruning for about thirty seconds on the
internet, then hacked savagely at all the bushes in the hope of
creating some improvement. They're all sprooting now, but the big
problem with this one is that it only has one, or if you're generous
and squint your eyes a bit, two canes coming out of the bud union
(which also, as you can see, is rather a long way above the ground
for some reason). The rest is just a big lump of gnarly old bark.

Is there anything I can do to improve its prospects and get some
more, I believe they're called "basal breaks", or is it the Gordon
Brown of the rose garden that is just clinging on until somebody
does the kind thing and puts it out of its misery? It produced one
little red rose last year, which was impressive considering all the
leaves it lost (and it had not many to start with) in my attempts to
control the spread of the spot.


Did you ever consider taking care of your rose bushes before now? Like
treat them for disease or feed them?
Apparently not.

Yes I did feed them last year, but I inherited them much in this state from
the previous occupant who was an elderly man who hadn't been able to tend
the garden properly, so last year I was not focussing on it myself, just
trying to keep it ticking over with weeding and stuff. The roses were fed
(Toprose) and watered and I tried to contend with the black spot but not
very well and now I'm trying to learn how to do a proper job with it all,
since I've never had a garden of my own before and it's a rather steep
learning curve isn't it?

I appreciate that I look like an idiot, largely because I am one, but I'm
doing my best.


Ian