Mutant Rose.

[Laiste]

(tempting as new user name)
So in March this year i bought a bare root David Austin rose: Albertine.

I planted it straight away and watered ect. did everything i was meant to. It did absolutely nothing for weeks - then in June it put out some weird twisted little leaf things like horrible mutant antlers 😳

Now it's sending out dead straight branches with slightly better looking but still weird ultra spiky leaves on them.

I hate it.
It actually gives me the creeps ! 🤣

The other side of the house is a lovely DA rambler which i bought in a pot and it's doing beautifully.

Anyone have any idea what's going on with the mutant rose? Should i just dig it up (and burn it)?
TIA

Can you post any pics of the mutant foliage? It might help us figure out what's going on.

i will ... hang on

Have youcontacted David Austin about it?

I can't show the very first really weird growths because i cut them away. This what it's producing now - with such vicious thorns!

Here's the one the other side - which was planted from a pot again ordered online. This one is Lady of the Lake. In it's second flowering but looking a bit bedraggled as we've just had a downpour.

No actually.
Ive never 'complained' to a supplier about a plant before ! If it was a dress it would have been sent back by now 🤪

David Austin are really good, they replaced a rose of mine that had failed, and they know their roses so if you send them a picture they’ll be able to advise if it’s normal.

In my experience DA roses do look a bit shit in the first year before they get going, and then they’re magnificent.

Probably the graft ( Albertine) has failed and you just have the rootstock growing. David Austin should replace it, they are ( or used to be) proud of their roses.

I would definitely contact DA. Btw Albertine isn't a DA rose it's just one they supply.

Ah! OK thank you.
I'll go back on the website and find customer service details. My order will still be on their system i guess.

The root stock suggestion sounds right to be honest. There's def something of the bramble about it ...

I'll update ...

Oh really ! Thank you.
If they offer a replacement i might be cheeky and ask for another Lady of the Lake i think. Same thing both sides of front door would look nice - i was going to go with that i wish i had now! I thought i'd save myself £20 or what ever it was and buy bare root and couldn't get L of the L 🙄

No advice, @Laiste, but I did think exactly the same thing about your thread title.

@AlwaysGardening

DA used to graft all the roses they sold, even if they were not the raisers of the variety. Maybe that has changed since David died.

Ahh this happened to me. It’s a sucker. I had a Kew Gardens from David Austin, which is supposed to be virtually thornless which suddenly sent out large spikey branches. I’ve got loads of roses so I knew it wasn’t the original rose. I sent David Austin pictures having read that they had good customer service and they weren’t very helpful, certainly no offer of replacement, so in the end I dug it up and chucked it (and bought my next rose from Trevor White, which is doing great)

Yes, the rootstock has overpowered the graft. Send photos to DA.

Albertine is a very thorny rose. Would be a good burgler deterrent in the right place. Magnificent when in flower though.

The only David Austin rose I have is a Harlow Carr which has never really thrived (but I have always assumed I was doing something wrong).

Wholeheartedly agree with pps endorsement of Trevor White roses. The ones I have bought from them (3 different varieties) have been strong, vigorous, healthy and trouble free from the outset.