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Can we save our rose?

jennyr35.jrjennyr35.jr Posts: 4
in Problem solving
We moved our rose, which was originally planted against our garage, during spring. The new spot was sunnier and at first it seemed quite happy. Sadly not long after we had a lot of snow and the plant doesn't seem to have recovered. It literally has no leaves! There's a hint of new growth, although it's done very little in the past month  

Is there anything that could bring it back to life?

Posts

  • BorderlineBorderline Posts: 4,700
    I can't see the pictures properly, but it looks like you have paving slabs and what looks like gravel right over the root base? Both are not ideal for roses. How do you top-dress rotted manure or compost every year? Two branches look more or less dead, so only one possible branch that may rejuvenate. Prune down the green shoots by roughly half of its current height and prune the grey brown branches right down. 
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    It’s probably struggling due to starvation. As borderline says, the surrounding gravel and paving is not good. Try removing the pavers either side of it and scraping off all the gravel, giving it maybe a good half metre of bare earth all round, edged with something to stop the gravel creeping back, prune it back, lightly fork in some good quality compost/rotted manure, give it a good rose feed, a deep water and some mulch on top of the soil. Keep watering and maybe another light feed in a few months time and It should recover. I have just chopped right back a shrub rose that was leafless apart from the tips, after some good advice on this forum. Perhaps we could compare progress in a few months!
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • jennyr35.jrjennyr35.jr Posts: 4
    Thanks for your help! We're pruning as I write :) 
  • jblockhartjblockhart Posts: 32
    Agree on the pruning. Also, water, water, water and a light application of fish blood and bone. If you decide to lift it again, apply mycorrhizal fungi on the roots and plant in a good mix of compost and John Innes No 3.
    James
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