Young David Austin rose stems snapping
CraighB
Posts: 758
Hi guys,
I bought a David Austin shrub rose in the spring and it had a few nice big blooms on it on strong stems and I assume it was in its first year. I then deadheaded it by cutting down to a 5 set leaf facing outwards, which then grew other shoots. These shoots have just bloomed but because the shoot that came out of the strong stem was quite thin, every single bloom snapped the stem it was attached to under the weight of it.
On the DA site website it recommends only pruning very lightly in its first year but then contradicts their advice by saying to cut each flowering stem down to 2 or 3 sets of leaves?
I'm really confused as to why I can't just prune each stem hard like you can with an older rose. Surely the thick stems at the base will send up new strong shoots? The thing is I'm growing it in a pot so I don't want it to get huge.
any advice would be great 
thanks
Posts
This seems to be a problem with some of the DA roses - I think it's because some of the roses in their parentage aren't as sturdy as HTs but the blooms can be quite heavy.
I suggest you contact them (there's an email address on their website) telling them which rose you have and explaining the specific problem.
It would be interesting if you let us know their response.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.