Double Delight Rose

[GardenGeisha]

I was babying my Double Delight rose back from the harsh winter here. I pruned it nearly to the ground, which was difficult for me to do, as pruning scares me, and it had made such a marvelous recovery.

Then some idiot comes along and cuts off a whole bunch of the new growth, including every single bud! I think it happened yesterday.

Is there anything I can do to help this poor rosebush recover from the mutilation? Should I fertilize? If so, with what? Use Epsom salts around the base?

All suggestions will be appreciated. I'm in Salt Lake City, Zone 7ish, and I feel sap on the area where the top of the rose was cut off.

 

[Nyboy]

Are you sure it wasn't deer? They love my roses.

 

[GardenGeisha]

No, I know who did it. Instead of consulting me first, they just took action. It was probably scratching a passerby, but it could easily have been tied back. No communication. And they didn't remove the chopping-- just left the buds to die on the ground.

 

[Smart Red]

If it is a healthy plant and has lived in that spot for a while, it will come back even from a severe pruning. Put fencing around the roots so it is easily identified as worthy of keeping and make sure the "Idiot" didn't add something like Round-Up on it just in case. Good Luck!

 

[baymule]

I hate people like that!

 

[journey11]

It's early in the year, so you'll be a-ok to give it a little fertilizer. New canes will have plenty of time to harden off. I've had to prune one back all the way from a bad case of blackspot once and it completely regenerated that summer. Just be sure to prune for good shape/airflow as it grows. You'll be back in bloom before you know it.

 

[so lucky]

Just make sure what grows back is coming from above the graft. Otherwise, no telling what it will look like. I have been watching my old Othello David Austen English rose, knowing some, hopefully not all, of it was sprouting below the graft. I was very happy to see I have at least some Othello left, now that it is blooming.

 

[GardenGeisha]

Thanks for the great tips, everyone. I was especially mad when I realized the trauma from the chopped up rose caused me to forget to call K-Mart this morning. I had called every morning this week, hoping the Easter Clearance would be at 90% off, but the upset over the rose made me forget to call this morning, and wouldn't you know, it went 90% off this morning, and I missed the deals for my preschool class. I was so angry when I realized the idiot not only mutilated my rose but also made me miss out on the good sale. Grrrrr!