Question
QUESTION: Hello,
I have a three year old New Dawn climbing rose in my garden in France (same climate as south east England).  This summer, after flowering it started to wither and die very rapidly. By mid  July it looked completely dead, with all the leaves dried up and brown. A gardener told me it was probably infected with a fungus that had killed its roots. We went away for  six weeks, leaving our usual automatic watering system on during our absence, and when we got back last week there were green leaves growing on the tips of most of the canes, and it even has two roses in flower! Can I assume that the rose bush has recovered from whatever was affecting it, all by itself? Should I dig it up to have a look at the roots just in case? If not, how should I prune it, since it looks very strange at the moment, with mostly brown withered leaves and bare branches everywhere.  Many thanks in advance for your advice, Alison

ANSWER: It is certainly possible that something damaged the roots such as honey fungus. Even though the rose is trying to come back, I would still take a trowel and dig down along one side just to make sure the roots are okay. If it is a fungal problem then the roots will have an offensive smell to them. I that is what you find then I would burn the rose. However if the roots are okay, I would prune the rose right back to 3 feet and only leave 4 or 5 of the thicker canes if that is possible. This will make it easier for the roots to make it into a sturdier climber. New Dawn needs extra fertilizer after the first flush plus extra water if you want a good second flush.

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QUESTION: Thank you so much for your prompt reply. I've just dug around one side of the rosebush and all looks and smells normal...although I had assumed the roots would be more developed than they were.  Its withering in July was so spectacular that I can hardly believe everything is normal again...still I will prune as you suggest and wait to see what happens next spring. One last question: Which canes to keep, the older woody looking ones (it is only 3 years old) or the new ones?  Many many thanks again, Alison

Answer
You always keep the new healthy looking canes. The older ones sometimes don't have as many flowers on them as the new ones plus you know the new ones are healthy but you can't tell if he old ones have a problem. Just make sure you leaves three to 5 good looking greenish canes.