J&P Sterling Silver Rose.....7 feet tall....no flowers

Darryl1940 · Sat Aug 09, 2008 8:05 pm

We have a beautiful J&P Sterling Silver rose bush for the last three years in our rose garden. This year, however, no flowers or buds, for that matter, have appeared. The bush continues to look healthy and grows to amazing heights (7 to 8 feet!!) It's normal height is three to four feet. We prune it back, hoping to generate flower growth, but it insists on just growing in height. Please help!!!! Thank you!!

moonor2 · Fri Apr 10, 2009 9:01 am

Just wondering if you have buds this spring. The rose may have gotten bitten back in the winter and the rootstock is what is growing. They are usually VERY VIGOROUS!

The Helpful Gardener · Fri Apr 10, 2009 5:10 pm

Is it near your lawn area? Lawn food is highly nitrogenous and nitrogen is all about leaves. If it gets a big shot of lawn food it may just want to grow shoots (I often tell folks that N-P-K can be thought of as shoots roots and fruits). It sounds like overfertility might be an issue...

HG

Darryl1940 · Sat Apr 11, 2009 7:33 am

THANK YOU for the responses! Our rose garden is not near the lawn area. Perhaps I've given the roses too much rose food!!! Although, other varieties seem to be doing very well. It's just the Sterling Silver that's gotten wild! We'll have to see what this season brings; the rose plants are just about ready to send out some leaves...it's still a bit early.

The Helpful Gardener · Sat Apr 11, 2009 12:20 pm

Some further research finds that the ARS gives SS a 4.2 out of ten, meaning as they put it "a rose of questionable value", so perhaps you are just experiencing some of the woes that caused it to be so mailgned...

I have but one rose in the yard, a 'Therese Bugnet' that I love for it's beautiful flowers and gentle, easy ways. But I'm no rosarian, and I eliminate anything in my garden that turns out to be problematic...

HG