Question
Could you please tell me what we could do for my rose bush  it has only had 1 bloom in the last 2 years . It has been fertilized and watered , pruned . We live in the midwest west of Chicago and this bush has been around for over 30 years.Any advice would be appreciated.  Thank you

Answer
Seven Sisters rose makes flowers on the second year wood. That means new growth you see this year will have made the flower buds for next year flowers. If you prune the rose and cut any of this growth off, you are cutting off the flowers.This rose doesn't like to be pruned so if you could not prune the rose for a couple of years, I think you will see many more blooms on it. Being too generous with the fertilizer will also encourage a rose to make new canes and leaves at the expense of making flowers because they have used up their energy making the new green growth.