Question
I have had a rose bush for four years.  The first two it bloomed very nicely.  The second two years it has hardly bloomed at all.  The canes are very long this year, but still only one bloom at the base of the bush.  I'm starting to wonder if it is actually a climbing rose bush and I missed that some how when I bought it.  I believe I am in Zone 9 - Metro Detroit.  Any suggestions?  Thanks for your help, Sandy

Answer
If a rose does well the first few years then it usually does well from then on unless a winter damages it. I wonder if the winter killed the top graft and now you have the understock growing. The understock is usually a climber called Dr. Huey and it is a semi double red rose. What happens is that when a winter kills part of the main rose this gives the very vigorous understock a change to grow and because it is so vigorous it will in time make the main rose so weak it will die off the next cold winter. To see what rose is growing, take a trowel and pull the soil away from the base and if the canes are coming from above the union bump then it is the main one. If they are growing out from below the bump, it will be the understock. The chances of bring back the main on are slim if it is the understock that is growing. You would have to tear (not cut) the long canes off at the base so it forms a wound and then they won't come back. Hope this helps.