New rose bush can’t bear the weight of the roses?

[EtVoilaa]

Got a gorgeous Hot Chocolate floribunda rose bush but it seems that the stems can’t support the weight of the head once it blooms, and/or rain seems to weigh it all down. Can anything be done?

Bump

I was fretting that my new roses were the same, but I’ve been reassured by experienced gardeners that this is a new rose thing and will get better as the roses become established and the stems grow stronger. Be bold with the winter pruning - the harder you prune roses, the stronger they grow back.

Yeah - they tend to get stronger as they mature. About 3+ years.

Thanks all. We want out rose bushes to get much bigger, but, silly question, how will they do that if every winter we have to prune them back to a six inch stump?!

Reducing it to a six inch stump is probably overdoing it but, once you have established a decent framework of stems, you can prune hard and the plant will grow vigorously every year.

I wouldn't take back to 6 inches every year - maybe just Year 1. But as the plant matures and the root system gets bigger, you'll find that the thick strong stems are pushed out more often and more vigorously every year. So it ends up being about controlling the growth rather than worrying it's not big enough.

I take mine back about 1/3 of the total size I want the plant to be, plus totally remove older, worn or crossing stems each year so that there is a good turnover of the main stems.

If it is a floribunda you don't prune it that hard anyway. I think it is recommended to prune down to about a foot.