Question
Hello,   Three years ago I invested in some beautiful pink English roses from David Austin.  The first two years they were beautiful plants with many bunches of roses.  This past year they were tall, skinny, all the leaves fell off by Fall but I still had roses at the very top.  What happened?  I use Miracle grow for Roses about every 6 weeks ,  they are in full sun, they are mulched at the bottom and receive plenty of water.  They all looked like they got sick this year?  I'm in zone 5/Central Wisconsin......Help!  Thanks for you advice in advance...:)  JoEllen

Answer
Most Austin roses are very hardy and should do okay in your area. If you got them directly from the Austin Nursery in England cutting them back by a half you activate them into better growth. However if you bought them from the David Austin nursery in Texas, then they will be budded on Dr. Huey which is not a very hardy understock and part may have died. It would be then possible that the understock has been partially damaged  by a nasty cold snap in the winter. When roses do well and then look sick and there are no fungal or insect problems, then the problem is usually at the roots. problems can be moles, mice eating the roots, rose galls ( a lump filled with bacteria) are attached to the roots and stopping them from taking up the nutrients. Lastly, in your area, giving a rose any type of fertilizer after the end of July will encourage new growth which does not have time to harden off and the winter winds kill or damage it.  Miracle Gro has a high nitrogen content in it and really only needs to be given twice in a season. Once when the growth starts in the spring and then after the first flush of blooms. Dig down alongside and have a look at the roots to check for small lumps on them the size of a marble and see if the some of the roots have been gnawed off.
It is not unusual for Austin roses to get lanky with too much fertilizer. Pruning them back severely is a good idea for these type of roses. It makes a fuller and better looking bush plus you get more blooms. Hopefully the problem is simply a cold snap in the winter which damaged the roots.