By Valdeq
London,
United Kingdom 
Our Rosa Nevada which has been growing and flowering beautifully for many years (including this summer) is looking very poorly and my husband thinks it's on its way out and wants to dig it up. We have well drained sandy soil which we enrich but all the roses we have grown (not in same spot but in the general area) in this bit of the garden over the last 35 years have eventually given up the ghost when they seem to have arrived at their peak. These roses were Zepherine Drouin and Alberic Barbier. I really don't want to lose another mature rose. Is there anything I can do or is it just that when their roots are really deep and hit nothing much but sand that's it?
13 Sep, 2010
Answers
The roots will go where the nutrients are, so I would be surprised if deep roots are the problem. Are you spreading rich compost twice a year? Are you giving any extra feed, as well? Often, roses growing in very snady soil need extra nitrogen to do well.
13 Sep, 2010
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Yes, it sounds as if there may be a problem in the soil as roses will live a long time. Do you prune it at all? This may spur it into more vigorous growth.
13 Sep, 2010