Q.How can I tell where my rose begins?
I’m not sure my rose is still alive. I have a David Austin rose plant. It bloomed beautifully in the spring. Then sucker type growth shot out of it. I looked for stems with seven leaves. I cut them off at the base. But then realized that most stems had seven leaves except a couple branches coming out of the right side of the top of the plant. The left branches have seven leaves. Has the rose been planted lopsided?
Thank you for including the photos. Your rosebush is fine, so please just relax and let her grow. The new redish foliage coming out is just new growth and a sign of how healthy she is! The bush is just trying to grow and get bigger. The redish foliage will turn green as it ages. With my Austin roses, once the blooms have died back, I just deadhead/remove the spent blooms back to the first cluster of leaves. No need to go to the 7th, 5th or other leaves grouping. Going to the first 5 leaves cluster junction with the cane is just for hybrid tea roses and some grandiflora roses. So don't over prune her or over deadhead her as you will be depriving yourself of many blooms to come. Just keep her well watered and fed, she will reward you soon!
