William Baffin Climbing Rose won't bloom.

Judy Fazio
by Judy Fazio
I bought this plant last year, it grew very tall (as trellis) & healthy looking but no buds/flowers so in the fall I moved it to this full sun spot.
Soil is mixed with compost, used rose fertilizer in spring, and since that time have buried 2 margarine tubs of pureed banana peel & coffee ground mixture around it.
I did not prune though, is this my problem, could I do it now? I read this rose is blind. Does anyone know how I can get it going? I live in zone 3 and piled leaves around it for winter.
  13 answers
  • 360 Sod (Donna Dixson) 360 Sod (Donna Dixson) on Jul 22, 2013
    Sounds like you are taking good care of it. And I do see that it is supposed to be hardy even up to zone 2b, but does experience some die back even in the 4b zones. Hmm....I am interested to see what others have to say. What was the weather like in June-ish time frame, did you have any extremely cold weather that might have frozen bloom buds?
  • Judy Fazio Judy Fazio on Jul 23, 2013
    Thank You Donna. Think I'm going to try cutting it back some and see what happens.
  • It looks like winter-kill to me too. I would cut back the dead branches and hope that the new ones bloom - but they probably won't bloom until next year. If you get a lot of cold weather, you might consider wrapping it in burlap in the winter to protect it from those Canadian winter winds.
  • Debbie Stanley Debbie Stanley on Jul 24, 2013
    We had to move an old rose this year due to a destructive dog. It is was over 8 feet tall last year; but has only put off a small amount of new growth so far but no blooms. I have been told that because of the move, it will not bloom till next year. I hope we will both have many blooms next spring. Good luck!
  • Judy Fazio Judy Fazio on Jul 24, 2013
    Oh I so hope that it was the move and things will be better next year! I've trimmed it and buried more banana peels so I'll just relax about it for now, dress it warm for winter and hope for next year. Thanks to everyone!
  • 360 Sod (Donna Dixson) 360 Sod (Donna Dixson) on Jul 24, 2013
    I am looking forward to blooms next season, please be sure to let us know!
  • Tanya Peterson Felsheim Tanya Peterson Felsheim on Jul 24, 2013
    Looks very healthy now, I think as other said might not bloom first year. Let us know how it does next year! I'm going to be moving a Honesuckle this fall, I know it will fall back but they seem to be (so I've heard from @Douglas Hunt ) they will recover well... Good luck to you!
  • Janice Weiss Janice Weiss on Jul 24, 2013
    I feed mine Bayers food and insect pellets in a blue container and prune back dead canes. Roses need water. I had this problem with a climber I moved and I've gotten it to bloom.
  • Catherine Smith Catherine Smith on Jul 24, 2013
    Climbers normally take 3years to really get going. I would suggest trimming out the dead canes, and you might want to consider mulching with leaves or straw during the winter, since it appears you're in a cold zone. The rule for perennials, which, of course include roses: the 1st year they sleep, the 2nd year they creep and 3rd year they leap! Takes that long for their root system to become established.
  • Heather Scott Heather Scott on Jul 24, 2013
    In the fall dig up around the plant and gently lay it on its side and mound the soil over it - I did this the first 3 years I had mine and by the fourth it was strong enough to survive. It was more than likely a late frost that got to it
  • Kathy Kathy on Jul 24, 2013
    Does it get full sun. I didn't have blooms until I moved them into a full sun garden.
  • Catherine Smith Catherine Smith on Jul 25, 2013
    That does not look like frost damage, but I can tell that is a very young rose bush. And it appears from the photo it gets sun. All types of roses need at least 6-8 hours of sun per day to do well. Think you're just going to have to be patient and let it grow up a bit more. It will be worth the wait.
  • Judy Fazio Judy Fazio on Jul 25, 2013
    Thank You Ladies ... I especially like the 3 yr rule for perennials.