Question
I have a very happy and healthy CL Don Juan, planted with southern exposure.  It went in the ground in May.  It will not bloom.  The leaves are beautiful, no bug or leaf problem.  Directions that came with it stress not to let the roots dry out, which I haven't. I went to a local nursery and they recommended more phosphate in the soil so I put on a 9-59-8 Ferti-lome.  Now I'm reading that I shouldn't be fertilizing it at all and to let it dry out.  What to do?

Answer
In regards to the fertilizing, the nitrogen is low so you should be okay in regards to new growth. Because a climber can normally take three years to bloom as it has to make new growth and then flowers, don't try to push it into flowering. Let the canes grow at their normal rate and they will be sturdier than making quick soft growth with a fertilizer. A rose has to have a radio of leaves to flowers and this can take time. If your Don Juan is growing well and is healthy, it will definitely bloom for you in a couple of years. In regards to keeping the roots damp, use a mulch all around the base and that will give the rose cool, moist roots. Also saves on you watering. If you have a cold winter, stop giving any nutrients to your rose at the end of August and don't dead head. Simply let the rose pull down the sap to the roots and it will go into a winter hardened off much better.