Question
I live in Casper, WY.
7 years ago we planted 3 climbing roses. They are 3 to 4 feet apart on our fence. The red rose has always bloomed. The yellow rose has always bloomed to but the pink rose in the middle has never bloomed. It grows fine and has beautiful leaves on it, however this year the yellow rose has pink blooms on it. None of the roses above the ground have grow together so I know that the pink rose isn't entangled with the yellow rose.
Why will the pink rose not bloom and then now the yellow rose has pink blooms?
Thank you for your advice.
Phyl King

Answer
Roses have blood lines just like human beings and sometimes they revert back to one in their past. This is probably what has happened to your yellow climber. It could go all pink if that one is stronger than the yellow as yellow roses are not strong. The other reason is that the under stock could have taken over. If the flowers are not coming from a cane growing from the base then it is sporting back. However if the pink is only coming from a basal cane at the base then it should be removed, unless you likethe pink flowers. See if you can dig dowm along the side where the pink canes are coming from and if they are starting from below the graft ( that large bump) then it is the under stock, which by the way will take over the whole climber if not cut off.
Many times it takes a climber 3 or 4 years to atart to bloom. As climbers are very vigorous growers and tend to make growth at the expense of blooming, especially if feed well. But 7 years is too long and I would guess that the budding wasn't done correctly and the chance of getting it to flower well, even if it does start blooming, is very slight. I would replace the rose but if you want to try and see if you can give it an electric jolt, then here is what you can do. Stop giving it rose fertilizer and give it tomato fertilizer by following the directions for a mature tomato plant. This is a fertilizer that is very high in potassium which is what a plant uses to bloom and fruit. It is too high for a rose (it won't damage it at all) and it will slow it down making growth and start producing flowers. Again if this doen't work then replacing it is the best way to go. Hope this helps. Lynnette